April brings little egrets the busy time to breed

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Basic knowledge of little egret. /CGTN Photo

The breeding season of little egrets is from March to July. Their nests are usually built in tall trees, about 15 to 20 meters high. Sometimes they are seen sharing the same tree with other egret species in large number.

Female and male birds build the nest together, the male takes the responsibility to go out and look for building material, whereas female devotes all her talent to make all the material into a comfy home.

The parents take turns to hatch their eggs. It takes around 25 days before the chicks break off, but the constant care is still needed thereafter given the newborns are featherless, too vulnerable to be left alone. Extra protection from the parents extends until they are able to stand on their own feet.

(Top image: In April, in a coniferous pine tree in Jiangsu, a coastal province in China, two newly-hatched little egrets can't wait to be fed by their mother. /Photo by Sun Huajin from Luli Studio)

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