Changing Fortunes of the Great Egret

The changing fortunes of the Great Egret (Egretta alba egretta), the signature bird of the Hungarian nature conservationism, is the environmental protection’s success story. Aggressive poaching for their fashionable plume left their colonies counting only 31 mating pairs in 1921. The result of international collaboration to preserve and protect their natural habitat are colonies counting over 3000 pairs today in Hungary.