Recently on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Mary Keleher noticed an egret with two long head plumes, and took a couple of photos. This bird matches well with the ones I discussed in 2011 in a previous blog post
Little Egrets have been showing up in the northeast regularly enough for the last couple of decades that one or more could have paired with a Snowy Egret and raised young, thus hybrids are plausible. In my earlier blog post I mention similar “long-plumed” Snowy Egrets from Texas and Baja California, where Little Egrets or hybrids are unlikely, and maybe the concentration of such birds in New England is simply a matter of birders paying close attention to plumes there.
But I still have to ask the question: Can we be sure this is not a hybrid, and how would we know? Hopefully this one will stick around for more detailed study and some of the questions can be resolved.
![Unusual egret at Cockle Cove in Chatham, MA, 16 May 2013. Photo copyright Mary Keleher, used by permission. Clicking the photo links to the original on Flickr.](https://www.sibleyguides.com/wp-content/uploads/Egretta_hybrid_Keleher1.jpg)
![Unusual egret at Cockle Cove in Chatham, MA, 16 May 2013. Photo copyright Mary Keleher, used by permission. Clicking the photo links to the original on Flickr.](https://www.sibleyguides.com/wp-content/uploads/Egretta_hybrid_Keleher2.jpg)
Thanks to Mary Keleher for noticing the bird and allowing the use of her photos here.
David, FYI here’s a bird with an unusual plume, from Texas in May 1998:
http://www.martinreid.com/Main%20website/egrets2.html
Martin
Good Morning Mr Sibley, I hope you are out in a blind somewhere watching a fascinating bird or two.
Yesterday I used your original guide to move from Lapland Longspur to American Pipit for a wading bird that visually stumped me. Your description of habits nailed the difference.
It’s a delight to have this Mother’s Day 2001 gift continue to help me enjoy identifying the birds I photograph.
This blog note has helped me think about an egret I captured (photo) in Maine 4 years ago. Thank you, Jody
That looks like a Great Egret. I shot pictures of six or seven of them in Brazos Bend last week end.