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5

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) German name(s): "Kuhreiher" Size: 48-53 cm; wing span 88-96 cm Weight: 270-510 g

Europe: Family Group 5 Family Group 5 Table Great Egret Little Egret Cattle Egret Grey Heron Purple Heron Striated Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Squacco Heron Green Heron Little Bittern Eurasian Spoonbill Glossy Ibis White Stork Black Stork Greater Flamingo Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names German birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Cattle Egrets are the medium-size egrets. Their plumage is all-white during the non-breeding season. For the breeding season they grow long, orange-brown scapular and frontal plumes, which extend to the head too. The straight yellow bill is short and thick, with prominent feathers under the lower mandible reminiscent of a "beard". The irises are yellow; the legs and feet are greenish-grey. Juveniles have a short grey bill.

Taxonomy, classification See Cattle Egret at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Cattle Egret is available HERE . Having made the "jump" from Western Africa to South America in 1933, Cattle Egrets are now a global species. Nominate (western) race "ibis", which was initially found in Africa outside the Sahara desert, parts of the Arabian coastline (including the northern tip at the border between the UAE and Oman), and parts of the Mediterranean coastline, has now also colonized all of the Americas, up to the coastline of Ontario, but with the exception of the highest ranges of the Andes, the Rocky Mountains and the rest of Canada/Alaska. The eastern race "coromanda" is found all year round in Pakistan, India and continental South-east Asia, plus some of the South-east Asian islands. During the breeding season they extend their range to also include southern China, South Korea and southern Japan. Part of this population spends the northern winter in parts of Indonesia and southern New Guinea. There is also a large population in Australia. In Europe Cattle Egrets, nominate race "ibis", are permanent residents in parts of the western Mediterranean, from parts of Iberia via the Cote d'Azure to the Po river lowlands into parts of Italy, Sardinia and Sicily. From the southern Pyrenees a second population ranges along the Bay of Biscaye, with some found in inland France as well. There is also a breeding colony in a part of south-western Germany. Cattle Egrets are found in the shallows of various kinds of freshwater wetlands such as freshwater lakes and on grassland, often paddocks around cattle.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "ibis" J. Pires reports spotting Cattle Egrets, race "ibis", regularly in the area from the Tejo estuary to Mora, Evora, Portugal, and also in Peniche, Oeste, Portugal, in February 2019. J. Pires also found Cattle Egrets, race "ibis", at Badajoz, Spain, in June 2019. Additional photos shown below were taken by M. Eaton in Egypt. Race "coromandus" Cattle Egrets, race "coromandus", have been found by us in Australia.

Photos

Race "ibis"

ADULT

Sex unknown

BREEDING

Near-lateral portrait of a Cattle Egret in breeding plumage with nuptial flush(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Maia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2020]

Lateral view of a Cattle Egret in breeding plumage with nuptial flush(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Maia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2020]

Frontal view of a Cattle Egret in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, June 2019]

Lateral view of a Cattle Egret in breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Couco, Coruche, Portugal, February 2020]

Cattle Egrets, partly in breeding plumage, together with a single Little Egret (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil Dam, near Mora, Evora, Portugal, August 2015]

Two pairs(?) of Cattle Egrets in emerging breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2016]

Lateral view of a Cattle Egret in breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, April 2019]

Lateral view of a Cattle Egret in breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal, May 2020]

Near-frontal view of a Cattle Egret moulting into breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, March 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Cattle Egret moulting into breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2019]

NON-BREEDING

Lateral view of a Cattle Egret moulting into non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, August 2019]

Frontal view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, March 2019]

Near-frontal view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[November 2017]

Near-frontal view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Pavia, Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2021]

Near-lateral view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[November 2017]

Lateral view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2021]

Lateral view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal, August 2020]

Lateral view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[November 2017]

Lateral view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage, here with its neck kinked (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[November 2017]

Lateral view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[November 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vila Franca de Xira, Tejo estuary, Portugal, January 2021]

Near-dorsal view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[November 2017]

Near-lateral view of a Cattle Egret taking off (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, August 2014]

Lateral view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2018]

Near-lateral/ventral view of Cattle Egrets in non-breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2018]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Cattle Egret in non-breeding plumage in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, December 2017]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral portrait of a juvenile Cattle Egret (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, August 2019]

Cattle Egret "rookery", with a single juvenile Little Egret thrown in for comparison (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Badajoz, Badajoz province, Spain, June 2019]

Race "coromandus"

Race "coromandus" is described in detail on our Australian page.

Breeding information

Breeding season: Apr - Oct

Eggs: 3 - 6

Incubation period: 25 days

Fledging age: 42 days

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Nest

Type: Basket

Material: Sticks, lined with leaves

Height above ground: 3 - 15 m

Cattle Egrets nesting in a colonial nesting tree together with Grey Herons (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2014]

Cattle Egrets nesting in a colonial nesting tree (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2013]

Near-lateral view of a Cattle Egret in breeding plumage in flight, carrying a stick for its nest (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2014]

Eggs

Size: 49 x 34 mm

Colour: Light blue

Shape: Long elliptical

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Flock

As their name already suggests, apart from taking aquatic prey, Cattle Egrets often follow cattle (or other animals) in order to pick off animals that are disturbed in tall grass, reeds or in water.

Flock of Cattle Egrets hunting in a bed of water lilies (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Badajoz, Spain, November 2021]

This Cattle Egret clearly does not know what it is supposed to do... (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2014]

Cattle Egrets nest colonially, often together with other species, and they can form substantial flocks.

Flock of Cattle Egrets taking time to preen collectively (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2020]

Distant view of a flock of Cattle Egrets (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2020]

Distant view of a flock of Cattle Egrets (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2013]

Cattle Egret taking big prey which looks like a toad (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2014]

Cattle Egret taking small prey (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2014]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

categrt_jp_20200424.m4a	ibis (Portugal)	?	© JP
categrt_20171124_3.m4a	coromanda (NW NSW)	Warning calls	© MD
categrt_20171124_5.m4a	coromanda (NW NSW)	Squabbling	© MD
categrt_20171124.m4a	coromanda (NW NSW)	Squabbling	© MD
categrt_20171124_2.m4a	coromanda (NW NSW)	Various (breeding colony)	© MD
categrt_20171124_6.m4a	coromanda (NW NSW)	?	© MD
categrt_20171124_7.m4a	coromanda (NW NSW)	?	© MD

More (Eastern) Cattle Egret sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Mon, 17 October 2022, 7:29 +00:00