Cattle Egret

Latin Name: 
Bubulcus ibis
Size: 
50cm
Description: 

Sexes alike. A snow-white egret seen on and around cattle and refuse heaps. Breeding: buffy-orange plumes on head, neck and back. Non-breeding: distinguished from Little Egret by yellow beak; from other egrets by size. Widespread; equally abundant around water and away from it; routinely attends to  grazing cattle, feeding on insects disturbed by the animals; follows tractors; scavenges at refuse dumps and slaughter houses. Often seen on the backs of  buffaloes.

Habitat: 
marshes, lakes, forest clearings, also fields.
Food: 
insects, frogs, lizards, refuse.
Distribution: 
resident; subcontinent, up to 1,800m in outer Himalaya. Rare in NW and NE India.
Call: 
Call Description: 
mostly silent except for some croaking sounds when breeding.
National Status: