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Little Egrets Bred in North-East Scotland for the First Time

Adult little egret beside a chick in a nesting tree
Conservation · Population & status

Little egrets (Egretta garzetta) bred successfully in north-east Scotland for the first time in 2026. NatureScot announced the record on 26 August after four young fledged at Forvie National Nature Reserve in Aberdeenshire.

A single pair nested in the reserve’s heronry and raised four chicks. Reserve staff had seen little egrets regularly around the Ythan estuary but had not previously confirmed nesting at Forvie. The nest was discovered after a local birder reported egrets in trees within the heronry.

A second pair was also present in the area during the season, although only the first pair was confirmed breeding. NatureScot reported a regional high count of 17 little egrets, including the four fledged young.

The breeding event is thought to be the most northerly record for the species in the United Kingdom. Little egrets first bred in the UK in Dorset in 1996, while the first confirmed breeding in Scotland was recorded in Dumfries and Galloway in 2020.

The species has expanded northwards after historically being mainly associated with warmer parts of Europe. NatureScot identifies rising temperatures and milder winters as likely contributors to the continuing range expansion, while also noting that reduced persecution since the nineteenth century may have aided the species’ recovery and spread.

The Forvie record extends the known breeding range of the little egret within Scotland and adds a new northern breeding locality for a species that has colonised Britain rapidly over the past three decades.

Sources and image credit

  1. NatureScot (2026) — First confirmed breeding of little egrets in north-east ScotlandPrimary announcement from Scotland's nature agency, published 26 August 2026. One pair of little egrets bred at Forvie National Nature Reserve and fledged four young. NatureScot describes the event as the first confirmed breeding in north-east Scotland and probably the most northerly breeding record in the UK; a second pair was also present and the regional count reached 17 birds including the young.

Image: Luiz Lapa — adult Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) with a chick at Rio-a-Dentro, Salvaterra-de-Magos, Santarém, Portugal, photographed 27 June 2024; Wikimedia Commons/Flickr. Representative breeding image, not the Forvie birds. CC BY 2.0. · CC BY 2.0 · Source

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