Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

Identification & Behavior: ~50 cm (19.6 in). The Cattle Egret is all white with a yellow bill, pale iris, and dark legs.  In breeding plumage, it shows a reddish bill, light rufous cap, back, and chest. Its legs turn lighter in color. It forages mostly on open areas not necessarily associated with water. Distinguished from the similar Great Egret by a much smaller size and proportionally shorter bill. The Cattle Egret is distinguished from the Snowy Egret by its thick yellow bill (black and slender in Snowy Egret), by a single color leg (Snowy Egret has dark legs with bright yellow feet), and habitat use.

Status: The Cattle Egret is the most common, ubiquitous, and widespread of all egrets, ranging from sea level to elevations up to 4400 m in the high Andes. It also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, Bo, and Ch.

Name in Spanish: Garcita Bueyera.

Sub-species: Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis ibis) Linnaeus, 1758.

Meaning of Name: Bubulcus: L. bubulus= cowboy. ibis: the bird ibis..

See more of the Family Ardeidae