The Little egret has a truly checkered history. It was spread across large parts of Europe during the 17th century when fashion designers realized that the long, silk-like plumes would fit elegantly in women's hats, among other things. The "ägretterna," as the plumes were called in Swedish, became the curse of the species. The Little egret was hunted massively and was on the verge of extinction during the late 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, several ornithological associations took up the fight against this hunting and against this fashion. After the turn of the century, the species escaped most of the hunting - and recovered quickly. Today, it has even expanded its old territories and is now seen increasingly often even in southern Sweden!