What is "great egret"

n. The great egret, ''Ardea alba'', of the egret family Ardeidae

The '''great egret '(Ardea alba''), also known as the common egret, large egret or (in the Old World) great white heron, is a large, widely distributed egret, with four subspecies found in Asia, Africa, America, and Europe. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized but more widely distributed in North America. It builds tree nests in colonies close to water.