Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea that includes herons, many of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season.
Some farmers consider the cattle egret such a useful bird that they have introduced them for the purpose of controlling insects that damage their crops.
The egrets’ striking courting display includes stretching, bill clapping, and an elaborate exhibition of the yellow plumage that the males flaunt during the breeding season.
Some sources say that during the 1930’s, sufficient numbers of cattle egrets crossed the Atlantic to enable them to establish a foothold in South America.
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It is calculated that with the help of prevailing trade winds, an egret could cross the ocean separating West Africa from South America in about 40 hours.
It usually associates with cattle, although it may also follow elephants, kangaroos, tractors, or even forest fires —anything that disturbs the insects on which the egret feeds.
Ornithologists estimate that association with cattle may reduce an egret’s energy expenditure by 30 percent while increasing the number of prey it captures by 50 percent.
Among the feathered creatures to be seen are the beautiful roseate spoonbills, white ibis, and snowy egrets that circle overhead while their mates may forsake the skies to warm the eggs containing their expected young.