Cattle Egret

Description:

First photo is of a breeding pair, the second shows an adult with chicks, and the third includes not only the cattle egret, but also a snowy and others nesting in the area. Adult Description Medium-sized all-white heron. Sturdy yellow bill. Dark legs and feet. Swollen throat. Rather short, thick neck for a heron. Immature Description Immature entirely white without plumes. Bill starts out dark and gradually becomes yellow.

Habitat:

A small white heron of pastures and roadsides, the Cattle Egret is more at home foraging in grass than in water. It follows cattle, horses, and tractors to catch the insects they stir up. I often see them in my pastures alongside my horses, and in the fields at the dairy farm, however this photo was taken at a 'secret' breeding ground where you can see all types of herons and egrets nesting, to include Great Blues, Snowy, Tricolored, and even a few Anhingnas.

Notes:

Photos were all taken from a great distance in order not to disturb the birds, as several were feeding chicks and others still sitting on eggs. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cattl...