Cattle Egret

Other names of this bird are: Elephant Bird, Rhinoceros Egret, or Hippopotamus Egret. Because of this coloration, some people call the cattle egret the Buff-Backed Heron.

Originally from Africa, the cattle egret now lives on six different continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. In the United States, the cattle egret took up territories in most of the lower forty- eight states. The cattle egret is not a native species in North America. It presumably flew to South America from Africa and then migrated up to the United States. The birds have also taken up a migratory pattern, which take them in the winter to Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Cattle Egret inhabits the northern regions of Asia, Africa and Europe, some Islands of the Ocean, the Northern range of Greenland, Iceland, parts of South America, North America, the Far Eastern Countries and Australia. The cattle egret, because of its great range, has become a true urbane species. The egret's habitat consist of fields, marshes, freshwater wetlands, pastures, livestock pens, swamps, and air strips.

The cattle egret is an average sized bird, with a bow like posture, even when it is standing straight with short legs and a thick neck. The total length of the bird ranges is about 20 inches tall, and its wing span of about 36 inches.

The cattle egret breeds from California east to the Great Lakes and Maine and south to the Gulf Coast. The primary color of its plumage of both the adult sexes is pure white, with a faint orange or yellow colored beak, and light orange colored legs.

For a short time during the breeding season, the feathers of the breeding adults is tawny at the head, neck and back, and the eyes, legs and beak are a bright red.

An individual Cattle Egret can obtain more food and use only two-thirds as much energy catching food by associating with cattle and other large hoofed animals. The bird takes every opportunity when it pertains to food.

The diet of cattle egrets consists of insects particularly grasshoppers and they avoid bumble bees, wasps, and yellow jackets. Bird watchers see the cattle egret near cattle because it eats the insects that associate with cattle. They expend less energy in catching their food by following cattle and farm machinery and catching the insects that the moving cattle disturb. In aquatic habitats they eat frogs and fish. Egrets that live in a zoo feed on smelt, meal worms, and crickets. They have adapted to following animals like cows in North America and eating insects like grasshoppers, crickets, spiders, and flies, that the livestock disturb. The Cattle Egret associates with livestock like wild buffalo, rhino, elephant, hippo, zebra, giraffe, eland, and water buck and perch on these animal's backs. In Australia, people see the Egret associating with horses, pigs, sheep, fowls, geese, and kangaroos.

In some habitats they follow the plow, capturing exposed earth worms. The cattle egret's main food sources are active insects that the Cattle Egret's host animals upset when they move and eat. It is a very active forager, usually feeding in small or large flocks of both sexes and different age groups. Sometimes they feed together in large groups while other egrets will dine alone. When feeding, it usually walks with its head down looking for insects. If they find food they give a quick stab.

Breeding starts when small groups of males mark off breeding turf. Soon after the egrets establish territories, skirmishes occur between males. Then the males begin to perform different courtship displays, attracting females.

Just before mating, a female will try to overpower the male. In due time, the male will permit one female to stay in his territory, and shortly, the bond is secure. The male Cattle Egret then leads the female to the nesting site. Copulation usually takes place here. Large settlements of Cattle egrets nest together. It prefers to roost in big groups usually with other water birds. They also fly in groups to and from eating, mating, and roosting sites. While flying it gathers its neck close to its body. It walks much like a goose and usually doesn't swim unless chased. Sometimes they will use an old nest, or construct a new one with vegetation in any place suitable. Both the male and female help build the new nest. The female builds the nest with vegetation presented to her by the male and often they steal materials from their neighbor's nests. Nest construction continues during incubation and after hatching.

During the mating, nesting, and incubation, a Greeting Ceremony occurs when one mate returns to the nest. The Greeting Ceremony involves lifting of the back feathers, and leveling the crest plumes.

After mating the female lays three to four light sky blue eggs every two days. Both sexes sit on and the incubating lasts about 3 1/2 weeks. During the first week, both parents shade them from the sun by spreading their wings over the young birds. In two to three weeks the chicks can leave the nest and climb on the vegetation nearby. About six weeks the immature birds become independent and at about seven weeks the can make short flights and at around eight weeks the young birds fly to feeding areas.

The cattle egret's voice is a plain and a hoarse call. Both the male and female birds will defend their perch sites. During the mating season fights occur often. There is no confrontation at the feeding sites, as they eat in flocks.

The cattle egret adapts well to many different habitats. It does not rely on urban habitats only to survive but uses aquatic habitats frequently.

Some ranch farmer depend on cattle egrets for fly control more than they do pesticides. Some people consider the large flocks of Cattle Egrets a nuisance because of the noise, odor, concern over health hazards, and possible danger to airplane.

The cattle egret is the most plentiful species of bird in many areas of the U.S. Its range continues to expand as a result of wide spread landscape conversion. The land changed to pasture land and these birds search for food with the cattle. The cattle egret now has a larger population than the combined populations of all other egrets and herons detected in North America.

Postage Stamps of the world honoring the Cattle Egret. Some of the counties that issue stamps are: Angola, Ascension, Barbados and Viet Nam