Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) is approximately 17 inches in length, with both sexes looking similar. They are predominantly white in color, with short, dull orange, pointed bills. In some rare instances, some adult birds might have deep red legs and bills, opposed to the dull yellow or orange that is generally found. Today, these birds are located world wide, but originated from Africa. It is suggested that they moved over the Atlantic ocean, from the African continent, and began a slow advance over areas such as the South and North America, until they reached places like Argentina and Canada. Their migration over the world is so great, that they sometimes outnumber the native herons that are resident to a certain area.
Egrets spend their days in the company of cows, cattle herds or any livestock for that matter, relaxing and feeding in the wet pastures. They are constantly on the lookout for any beetles, grasshoppers or edible insects that are disturbed by the cow’s grazing. If the ground does not bring in enough food, they simply hop onto the backs of the cows’ and take a quiet tour around the field while searching for flies and ticks. After a days work, the Cattle Egret will fly up to the roosting accommodations to rest. They are also known to be birds of routine, and have daily routes, which they follow. Egrets are also commonly found amongst herons. They are also able to adapt to aquatic vegetation if cattle are not around.
Cattle Egrets nest in trees that are close to rivers or water, or where ever they are able to find vegetation that will support their nests. Males will establish a territory, and then start with elaborate dances to attract a suitable female. Once a pair has been established, they head to a second location to build their nest together. Nest building is quite a building frenzy. The male will usually bring the materials, while the female builds the nest. Materials are sometimes stolen from the neighbors, if their nest is left unattended. Nests are built in big colonies that include different species. The light blue eggs are laid with intervals of two days, and number between 3 to 4. Once all the eggs are laid, the male urns his attention to the nest. Both parents assist in the 24 day incubation period, and often need to shelter the eggs from the sun, with their wings. Chicks will beg aggressively for food, but for chicks to kill each other is extremely uncommon for these birds. Adults will sometimes adopt other chicks, if they are less then 14 days old. It takes between 14 to 21 days for the chicks to complete their growth, and although they are now able to leave the nest, they still remain close to their parents. It takes a complete 60 days for the chicks to be able to fly and forage for themselves.
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