Greg Lasley Nature Photography
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The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) first showed up in the United States in the 1950s. Originally from the Old World, this species is a well-known long-distance wanderer and has colonized many new areas. Since its first arrival here, it has become common and widespread across most of the United States. The species follows cattle (especially), horses, and some other large farm animals across fields where the bird picks up grasshoppers and other insects that the cattle flush up while walking. It is a colonial nester and may often be found by the thousands in large nesting concentrations. The one shown at left was at a rookery in Harwood, Gonzales Co., Texas, in June, 2005, and was photographed with a Canon EOS 1D Mark II and EF 300mm F/4 L IS lens and 2X extender.

The Cattle Egret below was at Bosque del Apache N.W.R., Socorro Co., New Mexico in December, 1999, and was shot with a Canon EOS 1N and EF 600mm F/4 L lens n Fuji Provia.

The Cattle Egret below was photographed in Hidalgo Co., Texas in April, 2006 with a Canon EOS 1D Mark II and EF 600mm F/4 L IS lens.

The Cattle Egret below was perched on a Water Buffalo near the banks of the Amazon River near Iquitos, Peru, in July, 2006. The image was taken with a Canon EOS 1D Mark II and EF 300mm F/4 L IS lens and 2X extender. The shot below shows one of the typical views of a Cattle Egret; simply standing in a pasture. This shot was taken in Hardin Co., Texas, in October, 2002, with a Canon EOS 1V and an EF 500mm F/4 L IS lens on Fuji Provia film.