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Photo credit: Laura Erickson

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The Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis, is a small white heron. It is the only member of the genus Bubulcus. It is of Old World origins, but has been a very successful coloniser, and is now found in the warmer parts of every continent except Antarctica.

This is a stocky species 51 cm long and weighing 600 g. It has a short thick bill and buff back, breast and crown in breeding plumage. It is otherwise white.

The breeding habitat is large wetlands in warm countries. They nest in colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. 1-5 eggs are laid.

Most are permanent residents apart from some post-breeding dispersal, which has led presumably led to this egret's range expansion.

These birds are often found in dry grassy habitats, unlike most herons which are associated with shallow water. Cattle Egrets feed on insects, especially grasshoppers, and are usually found with cattle and other large animals which disturb small creatures which the egrets then catch. They will also ride on the backs of large ruminants.

Reference

*Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic