Cattle Egret

Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus, 1758)

2012-04-11 Mangistau district, Fetisovo	© Andrey Vilyayev

Description

Adult Cattle Egrets in breeding plumage are white except for long fluffed feathers on crown, mantle and on breast. These feathers are dark-buff; more intensive on head and more paler on mantle and breast. Decor feathers are longer in males than in females. In winter plumage Cattle Egrets are white with little rusty patch on head. Bill is yellow, reddish on base. Legs are greenish-yellow. Lores are greenish-yellow. Eye-ring is bright red. Eyes are red too. Juveniles are white with grayish-black bill and dark, almost black legs. Eye-ring is grey, eyes are whitish. Size: wing 235-260, tarsus 80-95, bill 50-65 mm.

Distribution

Cattle Egret no doubt bred in Ural river delta on Peshnoy island in 1992 (two pairs) and in 1993 (four pairs). Vagrants collected at Mangyshlak (16 May 1947), at Sholakkol lake on lower reaches of Turgay river (15 July 1971) and in Kurgaldzhino area (May 17, 2012).

Biology

Cattle Egret is accidental breeding migrant. It inhabits tree groves in marshes near shallow water. In spring Cattle Egret arrives in end of March - early April. It breeds in colonies (up to 50 pairs on one tree) together with other representatives of Ardeidae family. Nest from thin twigs is built in trees at 3-10 m above ground; or old nests is repaired. In repairing or constructing of nest both partners take part. Clutches of 4-5 (very rare up to 9) eggs founded at end of April - May. Both parents incubate for 21-24 days, and feed juveniles, which begin to fly in July. Autumn migration passes early, probably in August - September, there are no conformed datas.

Subspecies

References

"Птицы Казахстана" том 1. "Наука". Алма-Ата, 1960. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005.