Cattle Egret
(Bubulcus ibis)
Photographed in the wild,
Cape Coral, Florida Mar 2006
Tigertail Beach, Marco Island, Florida Mar 2013
The Cattle Egret is native to Africa
and Asia, and only reached the Americas in the late 19th century. It was first
found in north-eastern South America in 1877, having probably arrived there
from Africa. It reached the United States in 1941, and started nesting by 1953.
In the next 50 years, it became one
of the most abundant of the North American herons. It has occurred all the way
to Alaska and Newfoundland, and has bred in nearly all states.
Cattle Egret is more at home foraging
in grass than in water. It follows cattle, horses, and tractors to catch the
insects they stir up. It also is attracted by smoke from a large fire. Egrets
come from long distances to catch insects trying to escape the fire.
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