Cattle Egret

• comportamientoIt follows large savanna herbivores closely to feed on the insects they stir up as they walk, a mutually beneficial relationship that is uncommon between birds and mammals.
• It follows cattle and large wild herbivores to catch the insects they flush as they graze; hence its common name in almost every language.
• Since the beginning of the twentieth century it has colonised almost the whole planet under its own steam, setting out from Africa and southern Europe.
• A study in Australia showed that it significantly reduces the number of flies biting cattle.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Grassland, farmland, rice fields, marshes, savannah and wetlands of tropical, subtropical and temperate regions on every continent except Antarctica; also in urban settings and on landfills

Size at birth

The chicks hatch partly covered in down; the eggs measure about 45 x 34 mm

Gestation / incubation

22-26 days of incubation, by both sexes

Litter / clutch size

4-5 eggs as a rule (a range of 3 to 9), laid between mid-May and late June; the chicks complete their development at around a month old

Sources consulted: SEO/BirdLife · IUCN Red List · MITECO - Inventario Español de Especies Terrestres · Asturnatura · Animalia.bio · Si Bachir et al. 2001, Ardeola 48(2)

Best time: All year round; the orange breeding plumage is seen between May and June