Great white egret, Hungary

This egret has no regrets. Great white egret, Hungary

Meet the great egret, also known as the great white egret. Found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and parts of Europe, these birds are often seen wading through wetlands, tidal flats and quiet streams. Patient and precise, they stand motionless for minutes, waiting for just the right moment to deliver a lightning-fast strike. Fish are their main prey, but they also eat frogs, reptiles and even small mammals.

In the late 1800s, the great egret's beautiful plumes became a must-have in women's fashion across North America, driving their population down by an estimated 95%. The killing might have continued if not for two Boston socialites, Harriet Hemenway and Minna Hall, who led a boycott of the feather trade. Their activism helped launch the National Audubon Society. It also pushed the US Congress to pass the Weeks–McLean Law in 1913, which banned market hunting and protected migratory birds. Today, the great egret is a powerful conservation success story thanks to more than a century of legal protection and public action. It also serves as the Audubon Society's symbol.