Egrets At The Lake Stock Photo

Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea, which also contain other species named as herons rather than egrets. The distinction between a heron and an egret is rather vague, and depends more on appearance than biology. The word egret comes from the French word aigrette that means both silver heron and brush, referring to the long, filamentous feathers that seem to cascade down an egret's back during the breeding season (also called egrets).