A white cattle egret with buff-orange breeding feathers on its head perched on a branch. — Photo: Pedro Lastra, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Cattle Egret

Bubulcus ibis

A small white heron that follows grazing animals to catch the insects they stir up, and has spread from Africa around the world.

🪿 Wading Birds

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About the Cattle Egret

Cattle egrets follow grazing animals like cattle and catch the grasshoppers, crickets, flies and other small animals they disturb. By staying near cattle, an egret can get up to 50 percent more food while using only two-thirds as much energy. In breeding season, cattle egrets grow buff-colored feathers on the head, neck and back, and their eyes, legs and bill turn red.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Bubulcus ibis^[1]
Size: 46 to 56 cm (18 to 22 inches) long, with a wingspan of 88 to 96 cm.^[1]
Weight: About 220 g (8 ounces).^[1]
Lifespan: Up to 23 years in the wild.^[1]
Diet: Insects such as grasshoppers, crickets and flies, plus spiders, frogs and moths.^[1]
Habitat: Pastures and fields, often away from water.^[1]
Where it lives: Originally Africa and southern Spain. Now also North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.^[1]
Group life: Nests in large colonies with other wading birds.^[1]
Babies: Usually 3 or 4 eggs, incubated for about 24 days.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).^[2]

Fun facts

Following cattle lets an egret catch up to 50 percent more food with only two-thirds the effort.^[1]
Cattle egrets now outnumber all other North American egrets and herons combined.^[1]
Some people call it the elephant bird or rhinoceros egret, after the animals it follows.^[1]

Vocabulary

egret: A kind of heron, usually with white feathers.
heron: A long-legged, long-necked bird that usually hunts in water.
pasture: A grassy field where farm animals graze.
breeding plumage: Special feathers some birds grow during mating season.
colony: A large group of animals of one kind that live or nest close together.

See it in person

Montgomery ZooMontgomery, Alabama · Flight AviarySee this area on the zoo's website ↗
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and AquariumOmaha, Nebraska · Hubbard Gorilla ValleySee this area on the zoo's website ↗
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and AquariumOmaha, Nebraska · Simmons Aviary and LagoonSee this area on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. “Bubulcus ibis (cattle egret).” https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Bubulcus_ibis/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Bubulcus ibis (Cattle Egret).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22697109/155477521 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Wading Birds

African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicusA white ibis with a black head and neck that ancient Egyptians honored as a symbol of the god Thoth.African SpoonbillPlatalea albaA pure white African wading bird with a red face and legs and a long, spoon-shaped bill for sweeping up fish.American FlamingoPhoenicopterus ruberThe brightest-colored flamingo, also called the Caribbean flamingo, that filter-feeds with its bill upside down.Black Crowned CraneBalearica pavoninaA dark West African crane with a golden crown of stiff feathers that roosts in trees and dances when it breeds.Blue CraneAnthropoides paradiseusThe national bird of South Africa, a blue-gray crane of grasslands famous for courtship dances that can last for hours.Chilean FlamingoPhoenicopterus chilensisA pink flamingo of the high, cold salt flats of the southern Andes that feeds with its head upside down.Grey Crowned CraneBalearica regulorum (East African crowned crane: B. r. gibbericeps)An endangered African crane with a crown of stiff golden feathers, shown on the flag of Uganda. Also called the East African crowned crane.Hadada IbisBostrychia hagedashA gray-brown African ibis with shiny green-purple wings, named for its loud "haa-haa-haa-de-dah" call.HamerkopScopus umbrettaA brown African wading bird with a hammer-shaped head that builds the biggest nest of any bird in Africa.Lesser FlamingoPhoeniconaias minorThe world's smallest flamingo, which filters tiny algae from salty lakes and gathers in flocks of tens of thousands.Madagascar Crested IbisLophotibis cristataA forest ibis found only on Madagascar, with a brown body, white wings and a shiny greenish-blue crest.Malagasy Sacred IbisThreskiornis bernieriAn endangered white ibis with a black head and pale blue eyes that lives along the coasts of western Madagascar and Aldabra.

Marabou StorkLeptoptilos crumeniferA huge, bald-headed African stork that feeds mostly on dead animals and often gathers near lakes, rivers, garbage dumps and fishing villages.Northern Bald IbisGeronticus eremitaA glossy black ibis with a bald red head, also called the waldrapp, that was once common in Europe and is now one of the world's rarest birds.Roseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajajaA bright pink wading bird of the Americas that sweeps its spoon-shaped bill through shallow water to catch food.Scarlet IbisEudocimus ruberA bright red wading bird of northern South America that feeds mostly on crayfish and small crabs.Snowy EgretEgretta thulaAn all-white heron of the Americas with a black bill and bright yellow feet, famous for its lacy breeding plumes.Straw-Necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollisAn Australian ibis with straw-like neck feathers and a shiny back, nicknamed the "farmer's friend" for eating grasshoppers.Wattled CraneBugeranus carunculatusA tall African wetland crane with flaps of skin hanging from its chin that shrink when it's nervous and lengthen when it's excited.White StorkCiconia ciconiaA big white-and-black bird with a red bill that breeds in Europe, winters in Africa and inspired the story of storks delivering babies.White-Naped CraneGrus vipio (also called Antigone vipio)A tall gray-and-white crane of East Asian wetlands with a red face and pink legs, famous for its dancing.Yellow-Billed StorkMycteria ibisA tall white African stork with a bright yellow bill and red face that feels for fish and frogs in shallow water.