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Swinhoe's Egret?? Blue face diagnostic?

Swinhoe's Egret?? Blue face diagnostic?

Hi all... egret seen yesterday (4 Apr)at WWF Island House in Tai Po. One of the 'Little Egrets' had a very distinctive blue face. Clearly seen by two people. But other than that it looked exactly like a Little Egret. Two elongated nape features (as opposed to 'tuft' of nape features with the Swinhoe's). Didn't really notice any size difference with other Little Egrets in the area. The potential Swinhoe's was perhaps a little more active than other Egrets - it was flying a lot, 'fishing' from the air, etc. So my question is - is a distinctive blue face enough to distinguish this bird from Little Egrets, or can some Little Egrets also have blue or bluish faces? Thnx

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Thanks John... was not aware of face and feet colour changes during courtship - very interesting. And yes the two elongated nape feathers were quite distinctive. Litte Egret - tick ;) Rgds.

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