Taxonomy
As with other heron groupings, the taxonomy of these birds has been a source of dispute. Some of these species have been placed with the great herons in Ardea, and conversely the large white species like Great Egret are occasionally allocated to Egretta.
The fact that some of the group are named as “heron” and some as “egret” has no taxonomic significance.
Read more about this topic: Egretta