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Project Noah Nature School
Bubulcus ibis
Young, white, stocky heron that lacks the colored plumes the adult has and have a black bill. This is an offspring from an earlier spotting of the adults: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/102...
One tree at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. "The Cattle Egret has undergone one of the most rapid and wide reaching natural expansions of any bird species. Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its distribution and successfully colonized much of the rest of the world." - Wikipedia
"The adult Cattle Egret has few predators, but birds or mammals may raid its nests, and chicks may be lost to starvation, calcium deficiency or disturbance from other large birds. This species maintains a special relationship with cattle, which extends to other large grazing mammals. The cattle egret removes ticks and flies from cattle and consumes them. This benefits both species, but it has been implicated in the spread of tick-borne animal diseases." - Wikipedia
Spotted on Jul 22, 2012
Submitted on Jul 23, 2012
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