How to Identify a Cattle Egret

By eHow Pets Editor

Instructions

Step 1:
Look closely the next time you see a cattle egret. They're a stocky bird, about 17 to 20 inches long, with a short, thick bill. When they aren't breeding, they'll have all white plumage, the bill will be yellow and their legs will be grayish-yellow. When they are breeding, orange plums appear on their backs, breasts and the legs turn orange pink. There's not much difference physically between the sexes, but the juveniles have a black bill.
Step 2:
Note the migratory efforts made by the cattle egret, which flew from Africa to South America, where it was first sighted in the late 19th century. The bird then moved northward, through the West Indies, into Florida, then north and west.
Step 3:
Watch for cattle egrets around grazing animals, tractors in a field and at the edge of airport runways. The animals, the tractor and the planes all disturb insects in the grass and do half the work for the birds. You don't see them around water that often and they're not wild about fish, but they'll occasionally dine on frogs or toads and, once in a while, other birds.
Step 4:
Check the sky around the next wildfire in your area and notice if the cattle egrets haven't come out of nowhere to hang out. Showing their opportunistic nature, these birds will travel long distances to find insects trying to escape the flames.
Step 5:
Learn more about cattle egrets from the resources below. They are very social birds, gathering with other birds as well as the livestock they love to follow.

Tips & Warnings

It's been estimated that cattle egrets can get 50 percent more food and use one-third less energy when they feed around livestock instead of alone.

Resources

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