The western cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. Most taxonomic authorities lump this species and the eastern cattle egret together (called the cattle egret), but some (including the International Ornithologists' Union) separate them. Despite the similarities in plumage to the egrets of the genus Egretta, it is more closely related to the herons of Ardea. Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its distribution and successfully colonised much of the rest of the world in the last century.
It is a white bird adorned with buff plumes in the breeding season. It nests in colonies, usually near bodies of water and often with other wading birds. The nest is a platform of sticks in trees or shrubs. Western cattle egrets exploit drier and open habitats more than other heron species. Their feeding habitats include seasonally inundated grasslands, pastures, farmlands, wetlands and rice paddies. They often accompany cattle or other large mammals, catching insect and small vertebrate prey disturbed by these animals. Some populations of the cattle egret are migratory and others show post-breeding dispersal.
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; wider human farming is believed to be a major cause of their suddenly expanded range. 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.
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The westerncattleegret (Bubulcus ibis) is a species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. Most taxonomic...
to the IOC bird list, it contains two species, the westerncattleegret and the eastern cattleegret, although some authorities regard them as a single...
taxonomic authorities lump this species and the westerncattleegret together as subspecies of the cattleegret, but some (including the International Ornithologists'...
this group of birds. It also occurs in the scientific name of the westerncattleegret (Bubulcus ibis) mistakenly identified in 1757 as being the sacred...
plumage. Great egret or great white egret, Ardea alba Great blue heron, Ardea herodias Intermediate egret, Mesophoyx intermedia Cattleegret, Bubulcus ibis...
(Nycticorax nycticorax) and the cattleegret (Bubulcus ibis) with which it sometimes associates. The breeding range of the western race (E. g. garzetta) includes...
white-eared night heron. The westerncattleegret (Bubulcus ibis) was embedded in the genus Ardea. The eastern cattleegret (Bubulcus coromandus) was not...
International Ornithological Committee (IOC) recognizes these 74 species of herons, egrets, and bitterns in the family Ardeidae. They are distributed among 20 genera...
Mexico, the great egret (Ardea alba), the little blue heron (Egretta caerulea), the tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor), and the snowy egret (Egretta thula)...
specific islands where each species is known to be established. Westerncattleegret (most of the larger islands) Mallard (throughout) Wild turkey (Hawaii...
capercaillie WesterncattleegretWestern chat-tanager Western citril Western corella Western crowned pigeon Western crowned warbler Western emerald Western fieldwren...
approximately 400,000 visitors and is the second largest tourist attraction in Western New York; second only to Niagara Falls.[citation needed] Located on 23...
a subfamily of herons, which includes the day herons, night herons, and egrets. Genus †Proardea (fossil) Genus †Zeltornis (fossil, Early Miocene of Djebel...
about 221 species of birds, especially herons, such as the westerncattleegret, the little egret, the black-crowned night heron, the grey heron, the purple...
oak, tamarisk. Coypu, European hedgehog, red fox. Great egret, grey heron, westerncattleegret, purple heron, Eurasian teal, white wagtail, zitting cisticola...
Ardeidae The family Ardeidae contains the bitterns, herons, and egrets. Herons and egrets are medium to large wading birds with long necks and legs. Bitterns...
the Guadiana Basin and to the east with the Ebro and Júcar basins. The western limit, as far as the Spanish area is concerned, is delimited by the Erjas...
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