A female Great Egret will lay a brood of between one to six eggs. I have never seen more than 3 to 4 chicks. The babies will actually stab each other to death in their fight for survival.
I am always amazed at how closely our artists, designers and animators find their direct inspirations from nature. These wonderful Great Egret Chicks look like live muppets, although in fact these nestlings compete fiercely with one another for survival.