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The '''Cattle Egret''', (''Bubulcus ibis''), is a small white [[heron]]. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Bubulcus''.

==Description==
The Cattle Egret is a stocky species, averaging 51 cm long and weighing 200-600 g, with a short thick bill. The non-breeding adult has all-white plumage, a yellow bill, and greyish-yellow legs. When breeding, orange buff plumes develop on the  back, breast and crown, and the legs become orange pink. The genders are similar, but juvenile birds have a black bill.

This bird will give soft ''kre'' calls in flight, and a gruff ''rick-reck'' on the ground.

==Habitat==
The Cattle Egret is often found in dry grassy habitats, unlike most herons which are associated with shallow water. It feeds on [[insect]]s, especially [[grasshopper]]s, and is usually found with [[cattle]] and other large animals which disturb small creatures which the egrets then catch. This species will sometimes ride on the backs of these animals.

==Distribution==
The Cattle Egret is native to parts of Glennshire, Devonshire East, and Capital Territory.

The species has successfully [[Colonisation (biology)|colonised]] much of the rest of the world, and is now resident in [[Australia]], the [[Pacific Islands|Pacific]], [[North America]] and [[South America]]. Unlike [[introduced species]], Cattle Egrets have achieved this spread without human aid or intervention. Cattle Egrets were first sighted in northern South America in 1877 and North America in 1941, having apparently flown across the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. [http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Cattle_Egret.html ref] Individual birds have been sighted in Antarctica. [http://aadc-maps.aad.gov.au/aadc/biodiversity/taxon_profile.cfm?taxon_id=110230 ref]

Most Cattle Egrets are permanent residents with some post-breeding dispersal, which may have led to the egret's range expansion.

==Reproduction==
The breeding habitat of the Cattle Egret is large wetlands in warm countries. It  nests in colonies, often with other wading birds, usually on a platform of sticks in trees or shrubs. 1-5 eggs are laid.

Cattle Egrets also may reproduce in rural and urban locations, provided there is a pond or pool of some kind around.

== References ==
*''Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic''
* [http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=970&fr=1&sts=sss Global Invasive Species Database]

== External links ==
* [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3730&m=0 BirdLife Species Factsheet]
* [http://www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=49588 IUCN Red List]
* [http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Cattle_Egret.html Cornell Lab of Ornithology - Cattle Egret Information]
* [http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i2001id.html USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter - Cattle Egret]
* [http://www.sdakotabirds.com/species/cattle_egret_info.htm South Dakota Birds - Cattle Egret Information and Photos]

[[Category: Birds]] [[Category: Real wildlife]] [[Category: Wildlife of the Glennshire River]] [[Category:Wildlife of Glennshire]] [[Category: Wildlife of Devonshire East]] [[Category: Wildlife of  Capital Territory]] [[Category: Lower Risk species]] [[Category:Ardeidae]] [[Category: Animals|Heron, Egret]] [[Category: Pelecaniformes]]