Cattle Egret - - (Bubulcus ibis)

Wildlife Note Card Photography by Steven Holt

Blown off course during a storm, an African flock of Cattle Egrets landed on the northern coast of South America in the late 1800's. In Africa, the egrets fed on insects stirred up by elephants, rhinoceros and other large mammals. In the Americas, the egrets learned to follow cattle, horses and even farm machinery. First sighted in the United States in the 1940's, Cattle Egrets now outnumber the combined populations of all other egrets and herons found in North America. Nesting in large colonies with other wading birds, Cattle Egrets build bulky nests of sticks, sometimes stealing sticks from their neighbors' unattended nests. The brilliant red colors in the eyes, legs and beak of the Cattle Egret fade to yellow at the end of the breeding season, and its buffy feathers and aigrette plumes molt, leaving its plumage pure white. No other American egrets have bills and legs so completely light in color or spend so little time near water. (leg colors not clearly visible here range from orange to yellow)

Special thanks to Keith Iding for scanning the cards.