The Great Egret (Ardea alba) is a species of wading bird in the Ardeidae family. The Great Egret is the largest of all herons. In less than 30 years it has gone from being a rare wintering species to a common species with a considerable wintering population. However, in the 1920s, the development of the decorative feather trade, which had become very fashionable, accelerated their large-scale decline. Fortunately, fashions come and go, and the egret population has gradually recovered ever since.