The iNaturalistMX website has a photo of a Snowy Egret taken in the Port of Ensenada in Baja California. The Spanish name for this bird is Garza Dedos Dorados. The scientific name is Egretta thula.
Here is the photo:
Puerto de Ensenada, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico
Source: inaturalist.org
The photo was taken on November 6th, 2026, by the mysterious iNaturalistMX contributor known as “hfs“.
Most of Mexico, including the Baja California peninsula, is part of the wintering range of the Snowy Egret, whose main home is South America. Here is the Snowy Egret’s range map. Yellow is the breeding range, purple the winter range and green the year-round range.
According to Cornell Labs All About Birds, “The Snowy Egret eats mostly aquatic animals, including fish, frogs, worms, crustaceans, and insects.”
The same website explains how the Snowy Egret recovered its numbers since the 19th century:
“Populations have rebounded from severe losses in the late nineteenth century when masses of Snowy Egrets were killed for their long breeding plumes which were used to decorate women’s hats. Concerned citizens curtailed the plume trade in 1910 within North America, although hunting continued longer in Central and South America because of demand in Europe. Once safe from plume hunters, Snowy Egrets rebounded in numbers and even extended their original range.”
However, in the future the species could be affected by wetland loss: “Since Snowy Egrets spend more time feeding than many other herons, they may be especially sensitive to environmental changes that reduce available prey. The future of this and many other wetland species depends on coastal wetland conservation across North and South America.”