A few egrets stood by the lake, gracefully preening their feathers.

egrets 是名词 egret 的复数形式，指"白鹭"，一种长腿长颈的白色水鸟，常见于湖泊、沼泽等水域。egret 源自法语 aigrette，原指白鹭羽毛，后用来指代这种鸟类。