Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) stands in the shallow waters along the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels, Texas. The demand for the feathers of snowy egrets, white ibises, and great blue herons in the late 19th and early 20th centuries made these birds a target. By 1886, more than 5 million birds were being massacred yearly to satisfy the North American millinery trade.
A Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) stands in a shallow area along the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country. Normally though of as coasta birds, Herons are commonly seen far inland in the Texas Hill Country along lakes and rivers. The demand for the feathers of snowy egrets, white ibises, and great blue herons in the late 19th and early 20th centuries made these birds a target. By 1886, more than 5 million birds were being massacred yearly to satisfy the North American millinery trade.
Great Egret (Ardea alba) and Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) in the early morning fog in The Woodlands, Texas.