The wastren reef heron (Egretta gularis) cried the wastren reef egret an aw, is a middlin-sisit heron foond in soothren Europe, Africae an pairts o Asie. It haes a mainly coastal distribution an occurs in several plumage fuirms: a slaty-grey plumage in which it can anerly be ramfeeselt wi the rather uncommon daurk morph o the little egret (Egretta garzetta); a white fuirm which can leuk very similar tae the little egret awtho the bill tends tae be paler an lairger an the black fuirm wi white throat E. g. gularis o Wast Africae. Thare are differences in size, structur an foragin behaviour an aw. Thare hae been suggestions that the species hybridizes wi the little egret, an based on this, some authors treat schistacea and gularis as subspecies o Egretta garzetta. Wirks that consider the wastren reef heron as a valid species include the nominate gularis an schistacea as subspecies.
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