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Description:
Cattle Egrets are wading birds with a long neck and long legs.
They stand about 22 inches tall, and have a wingspan up to 3 feet.
Their neck forms an S-shape, which can be extended quickly for
catching prey. Adults are
white with buff on the head, back, and chest.
Their beak and legs are usually yellow, but turn red during the
breeding season. Juveniles are
all white with black legs.
Range:
Cattle Egrets are widespread across the
U.S.
and
Mexico
, Central and
South America
,
Africa
,
India
,
Southeast Asia
, and parts of
Australia
.
Habitat:
Open grassy areas, freshwater swamps, and agricultural land;
sometimes suburban areas or even in towns.
Diet:
In the wild, they eat mostly insects and crustaceans.
They will also eat frogs, fish, lizards, small birds, rodents, and
small amounts of plant matter. In
the zoo, we provide them with bird of prey diet, and they forage for
insects in their exhibit.
Life
Cycle:
Cattle Egrets nest in colonies with other wading birds, sometimes
gathering in huge groups. In
Africa
, colonies have been found with about 10,000 pairs!
When a pair begins nesting, the male collects reeds, twigs, or
other materials, and presents them to the female.
The female uses his gifts to build the nest, and then lays a clutch
of 2-5 eggs. The eggs are
white, and may have a green or blue tinge.
Both parents help to incubate for 22-26 days.
The chicks are altricial (helpless).
Their eyes are closed, and they have very little down.
They fledge in about 30 days. Cattle
Egrets can live about 10 years in captivity.
Did
You Know?
·
Cattle Egrets get their name from their unusual feeding
habits. They follow behind
foraging cattle, catching the insects that are disturbed by the cattle’s
movements. In dry, fire-prone
habitats, they take up position at the edges of fires where they can catch
fleeing insects.
·
Their flight looks slow and heavy, but they are actually
strong fliers. Some commute to
feeding grounds more than 35 miles away from their roosts, and populations
in temperate climates can migrate long distances to escape the winter.
·
Cattle Egrets are native to
Asia
and
Africa
. They have colonized every
continent except
Antarctica
, and individual birds have even reached
Antarctica
,
Alaska
, and many oceanic islands.
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