Egrets are birds that mainly feed on various small fish. Besides small fish, they also eat animal food such as shrimp, crab, tadpole and aquatic insects. Egrets usually peck when walking along rivers or swamps in the water, and quickly catch swimming fish with their long beaks and necks. Their beaks have sharp barbs, which enable them to catch fish easily. Once the fish is caught, the egret will swallow the whole fish, or grab the fish with its beak and shake it before swallowing it. Egrets also feed in the fields, mainly feeding on insects and other small invertebrates. In farmland, egrets are often called rice birds because they feed on insects and other small animals in rice fields.