Eastern Cattle Egret

1. Orange-buff plumes on the head, neck, and chest during breeding season.

2. Shorter neck and stockier build compared to other egrets.

3. Frequently seen foraging near livestock or farm machinery.

Eastern Cattle Egrets are opportunistic feeders that primarily consume insects disturbed by grazing animals. Their diet includes grasshoppers, crickets, flies, spiders, and occasionally small vertebrates like frogs or lizards. They forage by walking alongside livestock or riding on their backs to catch insects. Breeding typically occurs from spring to summer after rainfall. They nest colonially in trees near water alongside other waterbirds. Nests are made of sticks where females lay 3-5 pale blue eggs.

Eastern Cattle Egrets are commonly found in agricultural areas like cattle pastures, rice paddies, and plowed fields. They also frequent shallow wetlands but are equally at home in dry grasslands. Look for them following grazing animals or tractors in loose flocks. They are widespread across eastern Australia, particularly along coastal and sub-coastal regions of Queensland, New South Wales, and parts of the Northern Territory. At dusk, they can often be seen flying in groups to shared roosting sites.

Originally native to Asia, the Eastern Cattle Egret naturally colonised Australia in the early 2th century. Its expansion has been closely tied to agricultural practices like land clearing for cattle grazing. While often mistaken as "tick birds," research shows they primarily feed on insects stirred up by livestock rather than parasites on the animals themselves.