Egretta intermedia Wharton and Hardcastle, Journ. Parasitology, 32, 1946, pp. 306, 310 (Ulithi); Baker, Ecol. Monogr., 16, 1946, p. 408 (Guam).
Geographic range.—India and Ceylon east to Malaysia, Philippines, China and Japan. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Saipan, Rota, Guam; Palau Islands—Koror, Peleliu, Angaur; Caroline Islands—Ulithi.
Characters.—Adult: A large white heron with green facial skin; black legs, feet and toes. In breeding plumage: Head with crest; neck and back with ornamental plumes; bill black. Winter plumage: Without crest or plumes; bill yellow with blackish tip. Immature: Resembles adult in winter plumage, but feathers soft and downy.
Measurements.—Five males from Saipan, Rota, Guam, and Angaur measure: wing, 295-321 (308); tail, 112-127 (119); culmen, 85-87 (87); tarsus, 111-118 (114); three females from Saipan, Ulithi, Angaur: wing, 294-301 (297); tail, 101-116 (110); culmen, 77-83 (80); tarsus, 108-115 (107).
Weights.—The author (1948:43) records the weights of two males from Guam as 445 and 463.
Specimens examined.—Total number, 8 (5 males, 3 females), as follows: Mariana Islands, USNM—Saipan, 2 (Sept. 29, Oct. 2)—Rota, 1 (Oct. 31)—Guam, 2 (June 13); Palau Islands, USNM—Angaur, 2 (Sept. 21); Caroline Islands, USNM—Ulithi, 1 (Aug. 15).
Food habits.—The NAMRU2 party found grasshoppers, other insects, spiders and lizards in the stomachs of egrets taken at Guam, Ulithi, and Angaur.
Parasites.—Wharton and Hardcastle (1946:306, 310) obtained the chiggers (Acarina), Neoschöngastia egretta and N. ewingi, from this egret from Ulithi.
Remarks.—The NAMRU2 party obtained Plumed Egrets at Rota, Guam, Ulithi, and Angaur in 1945. Previously, the only known record was from Koror, as reported in the Hand-list of Japanese Birds (Hachisuka et al., 1932:183). In addition, in 1945, Joe T. Marshall, Jr., obtained two birds at Saipan, and Gleise (1945:220) reported seeing "white herons" at Tinian, which probably were egrets. Gleise estimated the number of these birds at Tinian to be fifty; he found them in swampy areas. At Rota, the NAMRU2 party found a flock of sixteen birds in a cultivated field on October 31. At Guam, egrets were first observed on February 25, 1945, when a flock of fourteen was found in a fallow rice paddy near Piti. This flock remained in this area and were seen occasionally until as late as June 13, when two were taken as specimens. A short time later (June 30) the entire area was cleared for military use and the birds were seen no more. At Agfayan Bay a flock of sixteen birds was found on the beach on July 24 and on August 6. These birds kept apart from Reef Herons which were also in the area. In June, 1946, M. Dale Arvey observed egrets in swamps along the Ylig River at Guam. At Ulithi Atoll, three egrets were seen on August 15 at Potangeras Island, feeding in grassy areas adjacent to the beach. In the southern Palaus, the NAMRU2 party found egrets in August and September on tidal flats and open grasslands at Peleliu and Angaur. At Peleliu, a flock of twenty-five birds was seen on September 8 and a flock of eight birds on September 16. At Angaur approximately twenty birds were seen in groups of five or more on September 21. These birds, unlike the Reef Herons, preferred grasslands to beach areas for feeding and were usually seen in sizeable flocks.