Our Video of the Week takes you on a visit to a Great Egret nesting site. These gorgeous white birds live across North America wetlands and become even more stunning during breeding season with long plumes and a bright green face patch. Egrets were nearly hunted to extinction in the late nineteenth century when their plumes were used to adorn ladies' hats. A ban on hunting in 1910 allowed the species to bounce back and populations are now stable. | Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The great egret always wants to be on top. This graceful giant was seen flaunting its breeding season plumage, called aigrettes, from atop a tall fir tree at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge in western Oregon. During the turn of the 20th century these wading birds were hunted at devastating rates to support high fashion hats and tiaras adorned specifically with delicate aigrettes. Thankfully, that trend eventually stopped thanks to conservationists and the great egret famously became the