Habitat
Marine shorelines, preferring mudflats, sandflats, sandy beaches, rocky coastlines, coral reef islets, mangroves, and estuaries. In Madagascar, also occurs in freshwater, brackish and saline habitats including ponds, shallow lakes, riverbanks, pools, lagoons, irrigation canals, flooded meadows and marshes. From sea-level - 1,600 m.
Dimorphic Egret (Egretta dimorpha) [XC294610]
by Patrik \u00c5berg from Nosy Ve, Madagascar (call)
Dimorphic Egret (Egretta dimorpha) [XC762744]
by Peter Boesman from Tsarasaotra park, Antananarivo, Madagascar (call)
Nest
A structure composed of interlaced branches and twigs and sticks, in a tree or shrub, near water. More rarely on the ground. In single or mixed species colonies.
Subspecies
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) and Dimorphic Egret (Egretta dimorpha) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) have been lumped into Egretta garzetta following Kushlan and Hancock (2005) who also lump Western Reef-egret (Egretta gularis) with Egretta garzetta. The latter treatment is under review by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group.
Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Little Egret (Egretta garzetta).
Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Western Reef-egret (Egretta gularis).