Western Cattle-Egret: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Алексей Сизов · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Ardea ibis
- Family
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Size
- About 50 cm
- Habitat
- Meadows with livestock
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania
The key marks
Small and stocky with a short yellow bill and buffy plumes in summer; it follows cattle. Little Egret has a slim black bill and black legs with yellow feet.
Voice
A low, croaking 'rick-rack'.
Good to know
It follows grazing cattle to catch the insects they stir up.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Little Egret. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in meadows with livestock. It is especially common in Morocco and Israel. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.