This bird was about 1.5 feet tall. It was all white with an orange beak. The bird was standing by the water occasionally eating off the plants.
I saw this egret at the UF's Beef Teaching Unit, where cows are fenced in pastures. This egret, among others, was near the cows, which were feeding on the grass. As I approached it, it flew away, likely from the sound of the grass crunching under my steps. It was a warm and fairly cloudy evening.
Class: Aves - has feathers, a trait unique to extant birds
Subclass: Neognathae- not restricted to the Southern Hemisphere, volant
Order: Pelecaniformes - long neck and legs, relatively long beak; morphologically similar to other pelecaniforms I have observed