Editing Cattle egret

{{Short description|Former genus of herons}}
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{{Cleanup rewrite|date=November 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image = Cattle Egret in breeding plumage, Wakodahatchee Wetlands.jpg
| image_caption = Breeding-plumaged adult [[western cattle egret]] (''Ardea ibis'') in Wakodahatchee Wetlands
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1 
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2019 |title=''Bubulcus ibis'' |volume=2019 |page=e.T22697109A155477521 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22697109A155477521.en}}</ref>
| taxon = Ardea
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = 
''[[Ardea ibis|A. ibis]]'' <small>([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])</small><br/>
''[[Ardea coromanda|A. coromanda]]'' <small>(Boddaert, 1783)</small>
| range_map = Ardea ibis map.svg
| range_map_caption = Range of cattle egret {{leftlegend|yellow|breeding|outline=gray}}{{leftlegend|blue|non-breeding|outline=gray}}{{leftlegend|green|year-round|outline=gray}}
}}

The '''cattle egret''' (formerly genus '''''Bubulcus''''') is a [[cosmopolitan distribution|cosmopolitan]] clade of [[heron]] ([[family (biology)|family]] [[Ardeidae]]) in the genus ''[[Ardea (genus)|Ardea]]'' found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. According to the [[International Ornithologists' Union|IOC]] bird list, it contains two species, the [[western cattle egret]] and the [[eastern cattle egret]], although some authorities regard them as a single species. Despite the similarities in plumage to the egrets of the genus ''[[Egretta]]'', it actually belongs to the genus ''[[Ardea (genus)|Ardea]]''. Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its [[range (biology)|distribution]] and successfully [[Colonisation (biology)|colonised]] much of the rest of the world in the last century.

They are white birds adorned with buff [[feather|plumes]] in the breeding season. They nest in [[bird colony|colonies]], usually near bodies of water and often with other [[wading bird]]s. The [[bird nest|nest]] is a platform of sticks in trees or shrubs. Cattle egrets exploit drier and open habitats more than other heron species. Their feeding habitats include seasonally inundated grasslands, pastures, farmlands, wetlands, and rice paddies. They often [[Commensalism|accompany]] cattle or other large [[mammal]]s, catching insect and small [[vertebrate]] prey disturbed by these animals. Some populations are [[bird migration|migratory]] and others show postbreeding [[Biological dispersal|dispersal]].

The adult cattle egret has few [[predators]], but birds or mammals may raid its nests, and chicks may be lost to starvation, calcium deficiency, or disturbance from other large birds. Cattle egrets maintain a special relationship with [[cattle]], which extends to other large [[grazing]] mammals; wider human farming is believed to be a major cause of their suddenly expanded range. The cattle egret removes [[tick]]s and [[flies]] from cattle and consumes them. This benefits both organisms, but it has been implicated in the spread of tick-borne animal diseases.

==Taxonomy==
Before the description of the ''Bubulcus'' by [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte]] in 1855,<ref name=Bonaparte/> the [[western cattle egret]] had already been described in 1758 by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' as ''Ardea ibis'',<ref name=Linnaeus1758/> and the eastern cattle egret had been described in 1783 by [[Pieter Boddaert]] as ''Cancroma coromanda''. Their [[genus|generic]] name ''Bubulcus'' is [[Latin]] for herdsman, referring, like the English name, to their association with cattle.<ref name=Valpy/> ''Ibis'' is a Latin and [[Greek language|Greek]] word which originally referred to another white wading bird, the [[sacred ibis]],<ref name=Webster/> but was applied to the western cattle egret in error.<ref name=job>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher=Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=[https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n201 201]}}</ref> The epithet ''coromanda'' refers to the [[Coromandel Coast]] of India.<ref name=job/>

The eastern and western cattle egrets were split by McAllan and Bruce,<ref name=McAllan1988/> but were regarded as [[conspecific]] by almost all other recent authors until the publication of the influential ''[[Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide|Birds of South Asia]]''.<ref name=Rasmussen/> The eastern cattle egret breeds in South Asia, Eastern Asia, and Australasia, and the western species occupies the rest of the cattle egret's range, including Western Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.<ref name=Krebs/> According to the IOC birdlist, they are both monotypic species. While some authorities recognise a third [[Seychelles]] subspecies, the [[Seychelles cattle egret]] (''A. i. seychellarum''), which was first described by [[Finn Salomonsen]] in 1934.<ref name=Drury/>

Despite superficial similarities in appearance, the cattle egret is more closely related to the other members of the genus ''[[Ardea (genus)|Ardea]]'', which comprises the great or typical herons and the [[great egret]] (''A. alba''), than to the majority of species termed egrets in the genus ''[[Egretta]]''.<ref name=Sheldon/> Rare cases of [[hybridisation in birds|hybridization]] with [[little blue heron]]s (''Egretta caerulea''), [[little egret]]s (''E. garzetta''), and [[snowy egret]]s (''E. thula'') have been recorded.<ref name=McCarthy2006/>

An older English name for the cattle egret is buff-backed heron.<ref name=buffbacked>{{cite web |url=https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=AB1CB2161CDC177A |title=Western Cattle Egret |publisher=Avibase |access-date=2020-05-03}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Red-flush Cattle Egret.jpg|thumb|right|Adult [[eastern cattle egret]] (''Ardea coromanda'') showing the red flush on the legs and bill, present at the height of the breeding season]]
The cattle egret is a stocky heron with an {{convert|88|-|96|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on|adj=on}} wingspan; it is {{convert|46|-|56|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} long and weighs {{convert|270|-|512|g|oz|frac=8|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Cornell/> It has a relatively short, thick neck, a sturdy [[beak|bill]], and a hunched posture. The nonbreeding adult has mainly white plumage, a yellow bill, and greyish-yellow legs. During the breeding season, adults of the western cattle egret develop orange-buff [[plume (feather)|plumes]] on the back, breast, and [[crown (anatomy)|crown]], and the bill, legs, and [[iris (anatomy)|irises]] become bright red for a brief period prior to pairing.<ref name=Krebs2004/> The sexes are similar, but the male is marginally larger and has slightly longer breeding plumes than the female; juvenile birds lack coloured plumes and have a black bill.<ref name=Cornell/><ref name=NMcKilligan/>

The eastern differs from the western in breeding plumage, when the buff colour on its head extends to the cheeks and throat, and the plumes are more golden in colour. This species' bill and [[Tarsus (skeleton)|tarsi]] are longer on average than in ''A. ibis''.<ref name=CITES/> ''A. i. seychellarum'', which may or may not be a valid subspecies, is smaller and shorter-winged than the other forms. It has white cheeks and throat, like ''A. ibis'', but the nuptial plumes are golden, as with ''A. coromanda''.<ref name=Drury/> Individuals with abnormally grey, melanistic plumages have been recorded.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Willoughby|first=P. J.|year=2001|title=Melanistic Cattle Egret|journal=British Birds|volume=94|pages=390–391}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V95/V95_N10/V95_N10_P531_532_N004.pdf|title=Another melanistic cattle egret|author=Herkenrath, Peter|page=531|year=2002|journal=British Birds|volume=95|access-date=21 April 2015|archive-date=15 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315105857/https://www.britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V95/V95_N10/V95_N10_P531_532_N004.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The positioning of the egret's eyes allows for [[binocular vision]] during feeding,<ref name=Martin1994/> and physiological studies suggest that they may be capable of [[crepuscular]] or nocturnal activity.<ref name=Rojas1999/> Adapted to foraging on land, they have lost the ability possessed by their wetland relatives to accurately correct for light [[refraction]] by water.<ref name=Katzir1999/>

==Distribution and habitat==
[[File:Cattle egret spread.svg|thumb|right|Range expansion in the Americas]]

The western cattle egret has undergone one of the most rapid and wide-reaching natural expansions of any bird species.<ref name=BNA/> It was originally native to parts of southern [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]], tropical and subtropical [[Africa]], and humid tropical and subtropical [[Asia]]. At the end of the 19th century, it began expanding its range into southern Africa, first breeding in the [[Cape Province]] in 1908.<ref name=HBW/> Cattle egrets were first sighted in the Americas on the boundary of [[French Guiana|Guiana]] and [[Suriname]] in 1877, having apparently flown across the [[Atlantic Ocean]].<ref name=Krebs/><ref name=Cornell/> In the 1930s, the species is thought to have become established in that area.<ref name=Crosby/> It is now widely distributed across [[Brazil]] and was first discovered in the northern region of the country in 1964, feeding along with [[Bubalina|buffalos]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Del Lama|first=Silvia|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307715556|date=April 2014|title= Colonization of Brazil by the cattle egret ''(Bubulcus ibis)'' revealed by mitochondrial DNA|journal= [[NeoBiota]]|volume=21|pages=49–63|doi=10.3897/neobiota.21.4966|via=[[ResearchGate]]|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The species first arrived in North America in 1941 (these early sightings were originally dismissed as escapees), bred in [[Florida]] in 1953, and spread rapidly, breeding for the first time in [[Canada]] in 1962.<ref name=HBW/> It is now commonly seen as far west as [[California]]. It was first recorded breeding in [[Cuba]] in 1957, in [[Costa Rica]] in 1958, and in [[Mexico]] in 1963, although it was probably established before then.<ref name=Crosby/> In Europe, the species had historically declined in Spain and Portugal, but in the latter part of the 20th century, it expanded back through the [[Iberian Peninsula]], and then began to colonise other parts of Europe, southern [[France]] in 1958, northern France in 1981, and [[Italy]] in 1985.<ref name=HBW/> Breeding in the [[United Kingdom]] was recorded for the first time in 2008, only a year after an influx seen in the previous year.<ref name=BBC/><ref name=Nightingale2008/> In 2008, cattle egrets were also reported as having moved into [[Ireland]] for the first time.<ref name=Barrett2008/> This trend has continued and cattle egrets have become more numerous in southern Britain with influxes in some numbers during the nonbreeding seasons of 2007/08 and 2016/17. They bred in Britain again in 2017, following an influx in the previous winter, and may become established there.<ref name = RBA>{{cite web | url = http://www.rarebirdalert.co.uk/v2/Content/Cattle-Egrets-Breed-in-Cheshire.aspx?s_id=677623864 | title = Cattle Egrets breeding in Cheshire | access-date = 4 August 2017 | publisher = Rare Bird Alert}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2019/jun/29/egrets-mountain-butterflies-uk-europe-warming-climate-crisis|work=[[The Guardian]]|title=Hello exotic egrets, farewell mountain butterflies as fauna revolution hits UK|first=Stephen|last=Moss|author-link=Stephen Moss|date=29 June 2019}}</ref>

In Australia, the colonisation began in the 1940s, with the eastern cattle egret establishing itself in the north and east of the continent.<ref name=Maddock/> It began to regularly visit [[New Zealand]] in the 1960s. Since 1948, the cattle egret has been permanently resident in [[Israel]]. Prior to 1948, it was only a winter visitor.<ref name=Arnold1962/>

The massive and rapid expansion of the cattle egret's [[range (biology)|range]] is due to its relationship with humans and their [[domesticated animals]]. Originally adapted to a [[commensal]] relationship with large grazing and browsing animals, it was easily able to switch to domesticated cattle and horses. As the keeping of livestock spread throughout the world, the cattle egret was able to occupy otherwise empty [[ecological niche|niche]]s.<!--, and one which in intensive agriculture was superior to its natural one !!something wrong with the connection!! --><ref name=Botkin2001/> Many populations of cattle egrets are highly [[bird migration|migratory]] and dispersive,<ref name=BNA/> and this has helped the genus' range expansion. The cattle egret  has been seen as a vagrant in various sub-Antarctic islands, including [[South Georgia Island|South Georgia]], [[Marion Island]], the [[South Sandwich Islands]], and the [[South Orkney Islands]].<ref name=Silva1995/> A small flock of eight birds was also seen in [[Fiji]] in 2008.<ref name=Dutson2007/>

In addition to the natural expansion of its range, cattle egrets have been [[introduced species|deliberately introduced]] into a few areas. The western cattle egret was introduced to [[Hawaii]] in 1959, and to the [[Chagos Archipelago]] in 1955. Successful releases were also made in the [[Seychelles]] and [[Rodrigues (island)|Rodrigues]], but attempts to introduce them to [[Mauritius]] failed. Numerous birds were also released by [[Whipsnade Zoo]] in England, but they were never established.<ref name=Lever/>

Although the cattle egret sometimes feeds in shallow water, unlike most herons, it is typically found in fields and dry grassy habitats, reflecting its greater dietary reliance on terrestrial insects rather than aquatic prey.<ref name=Collins/>

==Migration and movements==
[[File:Bubulcus ibis - Cattle egret (flock).jpg|thumb|A flock of [[western cattle egrets]] in a tree at [[Jacutinga, Minas Gerais|Jacutinga]], [[Minas Gerais]], [[Brazil]]]]
Some populations of cattle egrets are migratory, others are dispersive, and distinguishing between the two can be difficult.<ref name=BNA/> In many areas, populations can be both [[sedentary]] and migratory. In the Northern Hemisphere, migration is from cooler climes to warmer areas, but cattle egrets nesting in Australia migrate to cooler [[Tasmania]] and New Zealand in the winter and return in the spring.<ref name=Maddock/> Migration in western Africa is in response to rainfall, and in South America, migrating birds travel south of their breeding range in the nonbreeding season.<ref name=BNA/> Populations in southern India appear to show local migrations in response to the [[monsoon]]s. They move north from [[Kerala]] after September.<ref name=Seedikkoya2005/><ref name=Kushlan2000/> During winter, many birds have been seen flying at night with flocks of [[Indian pond heron]]s (''Ardeola grayii'') on the south-eastern coast of India<ref name=Santharam1988/> and a winter influx has also been noted in [[Sri Lanka]].<ref name=Rasmussen/>

Young birds are known to disperse up to {{convert|5000|km|mi|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} from their breeding area. Flocks may fly vast distances and have been seen over seas and oceans including in the middle of the Atlantic.<ref name=Arendt1988/>

== Ecology and behavior ==
===Voice===
[[File:Bubulcus ibis - Western Cattle Egret XC463749.mp3|thumb|Multiple contact calls at a nighttime roost.]]
The cattle egret gives a quiet, throaty ''rick-rack'' call at the breeding colony, but is otherwise largely silent.<ref name=BNA/>

===Breeding===
The cattle egret nests in [[Bird colony|colonies]], which are often found around bodies of water.<ref name=BNA/> The colonies are usually found in woodlands near lakes or rivers, in swamps, or on small inland or coastal islands, and are sometimes shared with other wetland birds, such as [[herons]], [[egrets]], [[ibises]], and [[cormorant]]s. The breeding season varies within [[South Asia]].<ref name=Rasmussen/> Nesting in northern [[India]] begins with the onset of monsoons in May.<ref name=Hilaluddin2005/> The breeding season in [[Australia]] is November to early January, with one brood laid per season.<ref name=Ber93/> The North American breeding season lasts from April to October.<ref name=BNA/> In the [[Seychelles]], the breeding season of  ''B. i. seychellarum'' is April to October.<ref name=Seychelles/>

The male displays in a tree in the colony, using a range of [[ritual]]ised behaviours, such as shaking a twig and sky-pointing (raising his bill vertically upwards),<ref name=Hanzab/> and the pair forms over 3–4 days. A new mate is chosen in each season and when renesting following nest failure.<ref name=kushlan/> The nest is a small, untidy platform of sticks in a tree or shrub constructed by both parents. Sticks are collected by the male and arranged by the female, and stick-stealing is rife.<ref name=NMcKilligan/> The [[Clutch (eggs)|clutch]] size can be one to five eggs, although three or four is most common. The pale bluish-white eggs are oval-shaped and measure {{convert|45|x|53|mm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Ber93/> [[Avian incubation|Incubation]] lasts around 23&nbsp;days, with both sexes sharing incubation duties.<ref name=BNA/> The chicks are partly covered with [[down feather|down]] at hatching, but are [[Nidicolous|not capable of fending for themselves]]; they become capable of [[Thermoregulation|regulating their temperature]] at 9–12&nbsp;days and are fully feathered in 13–21&nbsp;days.<ref name=Hudson1974/> They begin to leave the nest and climb around at 2&nbsp;weeks, [[fledge]] at 30&nbsp;days and become independent at around the 45th day.<ref name=kushlan/>

The cattle egret engages in low levels of [[brood parasitism]], and a few instances have been reported of cattle egret eggs being laid in the nests of [[snowy egret]]s and [[little blue heron]]s, although these eggs seldom hatch.<ref name=BNA/> Also, evidence of low levels of intraspecific brood parasitism has been found, with females laying eggs in the nests of other cattle egrets. As much as 30% [[extra-pair copulation]]s has been noted.<ref name=Fujioka1981/><ref name=McKilligan1990/>

The dominant factor in nesting mortality is starvation. Sibling rivalry can be intense, and in [[South Africa]], third and fourth chicks inevitably starve.<ref name=kushlan/> In the dryer habitats with fewer amphibians, the diet may lack sufficient vertebrate content and may cause bone abnormalities in growing chicks due to calcium deficiency.<ref name=Phalen/> In [[Barbados]], nests were sometimes raided by [[vervet monkey]]s,<ref name=Krebs/> and a study in Florida reported the [[fish crow]] and [[black rat]] as other possible nest raiders. The same study attributed some nestling mortality to [[brown pelican]]s nesting in the vicinity, which accidentally, but frequently, dislodged nests or caused nestlings to fall.<ref name=Maxwell/> In Australia, [[Torresian crow]]s, [[wedge-tailed eagle]]s, and [[white-bellied sea eagle]]s take eggs or young, and [[tick]] infestation and [[virus|viral]] infections may also be causes of mortality.<ref name=NMcKilligan/>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="140">
Héron garde-bœufs MHNT.jpg|Cattle egret egg
Starr 030628-0097 Neonotonia wightii.jpg|Juvenile [[western cattle egret]] on [[Maui]] (note black bill)
</gallery>

===Feeding===
[[File:Bubulcus ibis on nest, Apenheul Primate Park, Apeldoorn, Netherlands.jpg|thumb|Adult [[western cattle egret]] feeding a nestling in [[Apenheul]] zoo]]
[[File:Bubulcus ibis -Gambia -frog in beak-8.jpg|thumb|upright|A nonbreeding adult [[western cattle egret]] eating a frog in [[the Gambia]].]]
The cattle egret feeds on a wide range of prey, particularly [[insect]]s, especially [[grasshopper]]s, [[cricket (insect)|crickets]], [[fly|flies]] (adults and maggots), [[beetle]]s, and [[moth]]s, as well as [[spider]]s, [[frog]]s, [[fish]], [[crayfish]], small [[snake]]s, [[lizard]]s and [[earthworm]]s.<ref name=Seedikkoya2007/><ref name="Hosein">{{cite book |last=Hosein|first=Melinda|url=https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/images/Bubulcus_ibis%20-%20Cattle%20Egret.pdf|title= The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago|date=2012|pages=1–4}}</ref><ref name=Siegfried1971/><ref name=Fogarty1973/> In a rare instance, they have been observed foraging along the branches of a [[banyan]] tree for ripe figs.<ref name=Chaturvedi1993/> The cattle egret is usually found with [[cattle]] and other large grazing and browsing animals, and catches small creatures disturbed by the mammals. Studies have shown that cattle egret foraging success is much higher when foraging near a large animal than when feeding singly.<ref name=Grubb1976/> When foraging with cattle, it has been shown to be 3.6&nbsp;times more successful in capturing prey than when foraging alone. Its performance is similar when it follows [[farm machinery]], but it is forced to move more.<ref name=Dinsmore1973/> In urban situations, cattle egrets have also been observed foraging in peculiar situations such as railway lines.<ref name=Devasahayam2009/>

A cattle egret will weakly defend the area around a grazing animal against others of the same species, but if the area is swamped by egrets, it will give up and continue foraging elsewhere. Where numerous large animals are present, cattle egrets selectively forage around species that move at around 5–15&nbsp;steps per minute, avoiding faster and slower moving herds; in Africa, cattle egrets selectively forage behind [[plains zebra]]s, [[waterbuck]], [[blue wildebeest]] and [[Cape buffalo]].<ref name=Burger1993/> [[Dominance (ethology)|Dominant]] birds feed nearest to the host, and thus obtain more food.<ref name=NMcKilligan/>

The cattle egret sometimes shows versatility in its diet. On islands with [[seabird colony|seabird colonies]], it will prey on the eggs and chicks of [[tern]]s and other [[seabird]]s.<ref name=Lever/> During [[bird migration|migration]], it has also been reported to eat exhausted migrating landbirds.<ref name=Cunningham1965/> Birds of the Seychelles race also indulge in some [[kleptoparasitism]], chasing the chicks of [[sooty tern]]s and forcing them to disgorge food.<ref name=Feare1975/>

===Threats===
Pairs of [[crested caracara]]s have been observed chasing cattle egrets in flight, forcing them to the ground, and killing them.<ref name=deGodoy/>

==Status==
[[File:Bubulcus ibis Victoria 2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Western cattle egret]]s waiting for scraps at the fish market of [[Victoria, Seychelles]].]]
The IUCN Red List treats them as a single species. They have a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of {{convert|355000000|km2|sqmi|sigfig=1|abbr=on}}. Their global population is estimated to be 3.8–6.7&nbsp;million individuals. For these reasons, the genus is evaluated as [[least concern]].<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /> The expansion and establishment of the genus over large ranges has led it to be classed as an [[invasive species]], although little, if any, impact has been noted yet.<ref name=GISS/>

==Relationship with humans==
As a conspicuous genus, the cattle egret has attracted many [[common name]]s. These mostly relate to its habit of following cattle and other large animals, and it is known variously as cow crane, cow bird or cow heron, or even elephant bird or rhinoceros egret.<ref name=BNA/> Its [[Arabic language|Arabic]] name, ''abu qerdan'', means "father of ticks", a name derived from the huge number of parasites such as avian ticks found in its breeding colonies.<ref name=BNA/><ref name=WLM/> The [[Maasai people]] consider the presence of large numbers of cattle egrets as an indicator of impending drought and use it to decide on moving their cattle herds.<ref>{{cite book|editor1=Tidemann, Sonia| editor2=Gosler, Andrew| title=Ethno-ornithology: Birds, Indigenous Peoples, Culture and Society |page=288 |publisher=Routledge|year=2010}}</ref>

Cattle egrets are an occurring traditional motif in fishing boats among fishermen of the [[Malay Peninsula]] east coast who believed them as a symbol of good luck and fortune.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Puteh |first1=Kijang |title=Spirits of the Bangau |magazine=[[The Straits Times|The Straits Times Annual]] |date=Jan 1969 |pages=70–1 |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/stannual19690101-1.2.29?qt=bangau&q=Bangau}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Noor |first1=Farish |last2=Khoo |first2=Eddin |title=Spirit of Wood: The Art of Malay Woodcarving |date=2003 |publisher=Periplus |isbn=978-1-4629-0677-2 |page=208}}</ref>

The cattle egret is a popular bird with cattle [[rancher]]s for its perceived role as a [[biocontrol]] of cattle [[parasite]]s such as [[tick]]s and [[fly|flies]].<ref name=BNA/> A study in Australia found that cattle egrets reduced the number of flies that bothered cattle by pecking them directly off the skin.<ref name=McKilligan1984/> It was the benefit to stock that prompted ranchers and the Hawaiian Board of Agriculture and Forestry to release the western cattle egret in Hawaii.<ref name=Lever/><ref name=Berger1972/><ref name=Breese1959/>

Not all interactions between humans and cattle egrets are beneficial. The cattle egret can be a safety hazard to aircraft due to its habit of feeding in large groups in the grassy verges of airports,<ref name=Paton1986/> and it has been implicated in the spread of animal infections such as [[heartwater]], [[infectious bursal disease]],<ref name=Fagbohun2000/> and possibly [[Newcastle disease]].<ref name=APHIS/><ref name=Fagbohun1/>

==References==
<!-- BulletinOfTheBritishOrnithologistsClub101:339. FieldianaZoology51:91. Micronesica39:11. RevistaBrasileiraDeOrnitologia14:453. -->
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<ref name=Arendt1988>{{cite journal |last=Arendt |first=Wayne J. |year=1988 |title=Range Expansion of the Cattle Egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') in the Greater Caribbean Basin |journal=Colonial Waterbirds |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=252–262 |doi=10.2307/1521007 |publisher=Waterbird Society |jstor=1521007}}</ref>

<ref name=Arnold1962>{{cite book |last=Arnold |first=Paula |title=Birds of Israel |year=1962 |publisher=Shalit Publishers Ltd. |location=Haifa, Israel |page=17}}</ref>

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<ref name=BBC>{{cite news |title=First cattle egrets breed in UK |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/7521476.stm |publisher=BBC News |access-date=24 July 2008 |date=23 July 2008}}</ref>

<ref name=Berger1972>{{cite book |last=Berger |first=A.J. |author-link=Andrew John Berger |title=Hawaiian Birdlife |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |year=1972 |location=Honolulu |isbn=0-8248-0213-6}}</ref>

<ref name=Ber93>{{cite book |last=Beruldsen |first=G. |title=Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs |publisher=self |year=2003 |location=Kenmore Hills, Queensland |page=182 |isbn=0-646-42798-9}}</ref>

<ref name=BNA>{{cite journal|last=Telfair II |first=Raymond C. |year=2006 |title=Cattle Egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') |editor-first=A. |editor-last=Poole |location=Ithaca |publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology |url=http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/113 |journal=The Birds of North America Online |doi=10.2173/bna.113 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517084700/http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/113 |archive-date=17 May 2008 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

<ref name=Bonaparte >{{cite journal |last=Bonaparte |first=Charles Lucien |author-link=Charles Lucien Bonaparte |year=1855 |title=[untitled] |journal=Annales des Sciences Naturelles comprenant la zoologie |volume=4 |issue=1 |page=141 |language=fr}}</ref>

<ref name=Botkin2001>{{cite journal |last=Botkin |first=D.B. |year=2001 |title=The naturalness of biological invasions |journal=Western North American Naturalist |volume=61 |issue=3 |pages=261–266 |url=https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/wnan/article/download/28068/26531}}</ref>

<ref name=Breese1959>{{cite journal |last=Breese |first=P.L. |title=Information on Cattle Egret, a Bird New to Hawaii |journal=Elepaio |volume=20 |pages=33–34 |publisher=Hawaii Audubon Society |year=1959}}</ref>

<ref name=Burger1993>{{cite journal |last1=Burger |first1=J. |last2=Gochfeld |first2=M. |year=1993 |title=Making Foraging Decisions: Host Selection by Cattle Egrets ''Bubulcus ibis'' |journal=Ornis Scandinavica |volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=229–236 |doi=10.2307/3676738 |jstor=3676738 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing}}</ref>

<ref name=Chaturvedi1993>{{cite journal |last=Chaturvedi |first=N. |year=1993 |title=Dietary of the cattle egret ''Bubulcus ibis coromandus'' (Boddaert) |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=90 |issue=1 |page=90}}</ref>

<ref name=CITES>{{cite web |title=''Bubulcus ibis'' (Linnaeus, 1758) |work=Appendix 3 |last=Biber |first=Jean-Pierre |url=http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/ID/fauna/Volume2/A-211.001.005.004%20Bubulcus%20ibis_E.pdf |publisher=[[CITES]] |access-date=16 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410020852/http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/ID/fauna/Volume2/A-211.001.005.004%20Bubulcus%20ibis_E.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2008}}</ref>

<ref name=Collins>{{cite book |last1=Mullarney |first1=Killian |author-link1=Killian Mullarney |first2=Lars |last2=Svensson |author-link2=Lars Svensson (ornithologist) |last3=Zetterström |first3=Dan |author-link3=Zetterström, Dan |last4=Grant |first4=Peter J. |author-link4=Grant, Peter J. |year=2001 |title=Birds of Europe |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=0-691-05054-6}}</ref>

<ref name=Cornell>{{Cite AllAboutBirds|Cattle Egret|access-date=28 February 2008}}</ref>

<ref name=Crosby>{{cite journal |last=Crosby |first=G. |year=1972 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/jfo/v043n03/p0205-p0212.pdf |title=Spread of the Cattle Egret in the Western Hemisphere |journal=Journal of Field Ornithology |volume=43 |issue=3 |pages=205–212 |doi=10.2307/4511880|jstor=4511880 }}</ref>

<ref name=Cunningham1965>{{cite journal |last=Cunningham |first=R.L. |year=1965 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v082n03/p0502-p0503.pdf |title=Predation on birds by the Cattle Egret |journal=The Auk |volume=82 |pages=502–503 |doi=10.2307/4083130 |issue=3 |jstor=4083130 |access-date=22 February 2013 |archive-date=20 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320042401/http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v082n03/p0502-p0503.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name=deGodoy>{{cite journal |title=Hunting behaviour of Southern Caracara ''Caracara plancus'' on medium-sized birds |first1=Fernando Igor |last1=de Godoy |first2=Arthur |last2=Macarrão |first3=Julio César |last3=Costa |journal=Cotinga |volume=42 |pages=28–30 |date=June 2020}}</ref>

<ref name=Devasahayam2009>{{cite journal |last=Devasahayam |first=A. |year=2009 |title=Foraging behaviour of cattle egret in an unusual habitat |journal=[[Newsletter for Birdwatchers]] |volume=49 |issue=5 |page=78 |url=https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B3FJoJNii3LpYzI3MTczN2YtZGRlZi00ZmNhLWFhY2YtMDg4M2Q2YTUyNTgy&hl=en_US}}</ref>

<ref name=Dinsmore1973>{{cite journal |last=Dinsmore |first=James J. |year=1973 |title=Foraging Success of Cattle Egrets, ''Bubulcus ibis'' |journal=American Midland Naturalist |volume=89 |issue=1 |pages=242–246 |doi=10.2307/2424157 |publisher=The University of Notre Dame |jstor=2424157}}</ref>

<ref name=Drury>{{cite journal |last1=Drury |first1=William H. |last2= Morgan |first2=Allen H. |last3=Stackpole |first3=Richard |date=July 1953 |title=Occurrence of an African Cattle Egret (''Ardeola ibis ibis'') in Massachusetts |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v070n03/p0364-p0365.pdf |journal=[[The Auk]] |volume=70 |issue=3 |pages=364–365 |doi=10.2307/4081328|jstor=4081328 }}</ref>

<ref name=Dutson2007>{{cite journal |last1=Dutson |first1=G. |last2=Watling |first2=D. |year=2007 |title=Cattle egrets (''Bubulcus ibis'') and other vagrant birds in Fiji |journal=Notornis |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=54–55 |url=http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_54_1_54.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130222024321/http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_54_1_54.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 February 2013 }}</ref>

<ref name=Fagbohun1>{{cite journal |last1=Fagbohun |first1=O.A.|last2=Oluwayelu |first2=D.O.|last3=Owoade |first3=A.A. |last4=Olayemi |first4=F.O. |year=2000 |url=https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/7319/1/md00054.pdf |title=Survey for antibodies to Newcastle Disease virus in cattle egrets, pigeons and Nigerian laughing doves |journal=African Journal of Biomedical Research |volume=3 |pages=193–194 }}</ref>

<ref name=Fagbohun2000>{{cite journal |last1=Fagbohun |first1=O.A. |last2=Owoade |first2=A.A. |last3=Oluwayelu |first3=D.O. |first4=F.O. |last4=Olayemi |journal=[[African Journal of Biomedical Research]] |volume=3 |issue=3 |year=2000 |title=Serological survey of infectious bursal disease virus antibodies in cattle egrets, pigeons and Nigerian laughing doves |url=http://www.bioline.org.br/request?md00053|pages=191–192}}</ref>

<ref name=Feare1975>{{cite journal |last=Feare |first=C.J. |year=1975 |title=Scavenging and kleptoparasitism as feeding methods on Seychelles Cattle Egrets, ''Bubulcus ibis'' |journal=Ibis |volume=117 |issue=3 |page=388 |doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1975.tb04229.x}}</ref>

<ref name=Fogarty1973>{{cite journal |first1=Michael J. |last1=Fogarty |last2=Hetrick |first2=Willa Mae |year=1973 |title=Summer Foods of Cattle Egrets in North Central Florida |journal=The Auk |url=http://sora.unm.edu/node/22357 |volume=90 |issue=2 |pages=268–280 |jstor=4084294}}</ref>

<ref name=Fujioka1981>{{cite journal |last1=Fujioka |first1=M. |last2=Yamagishi |first2=S. |year=1981 |title=Extra-marital and pair copulations in cattle egret |journal=The Auk |volume=98 |pages=134–144 |jstor=4085616 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/node/23509 |issue=1|doi=10.1093/auk/98.1.134 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

<ref name=GISS>{{cite web |title=''Bubulcus ibis'' (bird) |work=Global Invasive Species Database |url=http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=970&fr=1&sts=sss&lang=EN |access-date=6 February 2008 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070213/http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=970&fr=1&sts=sss&lang=EN |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name=Grubb1976>{{cite journal |last=Grubb |first=T. |year=1976 |title=Adaptiveness of Foraging in the Cattle Egret |journal=Wilson Bulletin |volume=88 |issue=1 |pages=145–148 |jstor=4160720 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/node/129260}}</ref>

<ref name=Hanzab>{{cite book |last1=Marchant |first1=S. |last2=Higgins |first2=P.J. |year=1990 |title=Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds |volume=1 (Ratites to Ducks) |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-553068-3|title-link=Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds }}</ref>

<ref name=HBW>{{cite book |last1=Martínez-Vilalta |first1=A. |last2=Motis |first2=A. |chapter=Family Ardeidae (Herons) |editor1-last=del Hoyo |editor1-first=J. |editor2-last=Elliot |editor2-first=A. |editor3-last=Sargatal |editor3-first=J. |year=1992 |title=Handbook of the Birds of the World |volume=1: Ostrich to Ducks |publisher=Lynx Edicions |isbn=84-87334-09-1 |pages=401–402|title-link=Handbook of the Birds of the World }}</ref>

<ref name=Hilaluddin2005>{{cite journal|last1=Hilaluddin |last2=Kaul |first2=Rahul |last3=Hussain |first3=Mohd Shah |last4=Imam |first4=Ekwal |last5=Shah |first5=Junid N. |last6=Abbasi |first6=Faiza |last7=Shawland |first7=Tahir A. |year=2005 |url=http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Downloads/article_id_088_08_1239_1243_0.pdf |title=Status and distribution of breeding cattle egret and little egret in Amroha using density method |journal=Current Science |volume=88 |issue=25 |pages=1239–1243}}</ref>

<ref name=Hudson1974>{{cite journal |last1=Hudson |first1=Jack W. |last2=Dawson |first2=William R. |last3=Hill |first3=Richard W. |journal=Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A |volume=49 |issue=4 |year=1974 |pages=717–720 |doi=10.1016/0300-9629(74)90900-1 |pmid=4154173 |title=Growth and development of temperature regulation in nestling cattle egrets}}</ref>

<ref name=Katzir1999>{{cite journal |title=Cattle egrets are less able to cope with light refraction than are other herons |last1=Katzir |first1=G.|last2=Strod |first2=T. |last3=Schectman |first3=E. |last4=Hareli |first4=S. |last5=Arad |first5=Z. |journal=Animal Behaviour |volume=57 |issue=3 |year=1999 |pages=687–694 |doi=10.1006/anbe.1998.1002 |pmid=10196060|s2cid=11941872 }}</ref>

<ref name=Krebs >{{cite journal |last1=Krebs |first1=Elizabeth A. |last2=Riven-Ramsey |first2=Deborah |last3=Hunte |first3=W. |year=1994 |title=The Colonization of Barbados by Cattle Egrets (''Bubulcus ibis'') 1956–1990 |journal=Colonial Waterbirds |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=86–90 |doi=10.2307/1521386 |publisher=Waterbird Society |jstor=1521386 }}</ref>

<ref name=Krebs2004>{{cite journal |last1=Krebs |first1=E.A. |last2=Hunte |first2=W. |last3=Green |first3=D.J. |s2cid=35761953 |year=2004 |doi=10.1163/156853904323066757 |title=Plume variation, breeding performance and extra-pair copulations in the cattle egret |journal=Behaviour |volume=141 |issue=4 |pages=479–499}}</ref>

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<ref name=Lever>{{cite book |last=Lever |first=C. |year=1987 |title=Naturalised Birds of the World |publisher=Longman Scientific & Technical |location=Harlow, Essex |isbn=0-582-46055-7 |pages=15–17}}</ref>

<ref name=Linnaeus1758>{{cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=C. |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. |location=Holmiae [Stockholm] |publisher=Laurentii Salvii |year=1758 |quote=A. capite laevi, corpore albo, rostro flavescente apice pedibusque nigris |page=144 |language=la}}</ref>

<ref name=Maddock>{{cite journal |last=Maddock |first=M. |year=1990 |url=http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_37_1_1.pdf |title=Cattle Egrets: South to Tasmania and New Zealand for the winter |journal=Notornis |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=1–23 |access-date=2 January 2015 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831200300/http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_37_1_1.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

<ref name=Martin1994>{{cite journal |last1=Martin |first1=G.R. |last2=Katzir |first2=G. |year=1994 |title=Visual Fields and Eye Movements in Herons (Ardeidae) |journal=Brain, Behavior and Evolution |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=74–85 |doi=10.1159/000113571|pmid=7953610 }}</ref>

<ref name=Maxwell>{{cite journal |last1=Maxwell |first1= G.R. II |last2=Kale |first2=H.W. II |year=1977 |title=Breeding biology of five species of herons in coastal Florida |journal=The Auk |volume=94 |pages=689–700 |doi=10.2307/4085265 |issue=4 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/node/23060 |jstor= 4085265 |doi-access=free |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

<ref name=McAllan1988>{{cite book |last1=McAllan |first1=I.A.W. |last2=Bruce |first2=M.D. |year=1988 |title=The birds of New South Wales, a working list |isbn=0-9587516-0-9 |publisher=Biocon Research Group in association with the New South Wales Bird Atlassers |location=Turramurra, N.S.W.}}</ref>

<ref name=McCarthy2006>{{cite book |first=Eugene M. |last=McCarthy |year=2006 |title=Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-518323-1 |page=190}}</ref>

<ref name=McKilligan1984>{{cite journal |last=McKilligan |first=N.G. |year=1984 |title=The food and feeding ecology of the Cattle Egret ''Ardeola ibis'' when nesting in south-east Queensland |journal=Australian Wildlife Research |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=133–144 |doi=10.1071/WR9840133}}</ref>

<ref name=McKilligan1990>{{cite journal |last=McKilligan |first=N.G. |year=1990 |title=Promiscuity in the cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') |journal=The Auk |volume=107 |pages=334–341 |doi=10.2307/4087617 |issue=2 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/node/24840|jstor=4087617 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

<ref name=Nightingale2008>{{cite journal |volume=101 |issue=2 |year=2008 |page=108 |title=Recent reports |first1=Barry |last1=Nightingale |first2=Eric |last2=Dempsey |url=https://www.britishbirds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/article_files/V101/V101_N02/V101_N2_52_54.pdf |journal=[[British Birds (magazine)|British Birds]]}}</ref>

<ref name=NMcKilligan>{{cite book |last=McKilligan |first=Neil |title=Herons, Egrets and Bitterns: Their Biology and Conservation in Australia |url=http://www.publish.csiro.au/samples/Heron_sample.pdf |format=PDF extract |year=2005 |pages=88–93 |publisher=CSIRO Publishing |isbn=0-643-09133-5 }}</ref>

<ref name=Paton1986>{{cite journal |last1=Paton |first1=P. |last2=Fellows |first2=D. |last3=Tomich |first3=P. |year=1986 |title=Distribution of Cattle Egret Roosts in Hawaii With Notes on the Problems Egrets Pose to Airports |journal=Elepaio |volume=46 |issue=13 |pages=143–147 |url=http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/3623}}</ref>

<ref name=Phalen>{{cite journal |last1=Phalen |first1=David N. |last2=Drew |first2=Mark L. |last3=Contreras |first3=Cindy |last4=Roset |first4=Kimberly |last5=Mora |first5=Miguel |year=2005 |title=Naturally occurring secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism in cattle egrets (''Bubulcus ibis'') from central Texas |journal=Journal of Wildlife Diseases |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=401–415 |pmid=16107676 |doi=10.7589/0090-3558-41.2.401|doi-access=free }}</ref>

<ref name=Rasmussen>{{cite book |last1=Rasmussen |first1=Pamela C. |last2=Anderton |first2=John C. |author-link2=John C. Anderton |title=Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide |year=2005 |page=58 |publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]] and [[Lynx Edicions]] |isbn=84-87334-67-9 |author-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen |title-link=Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide }}</ref>

<ref name=Rojas1999>{{cite journal |last1=Rojas |first1=L.M. |last2=McNeil |first2=R. |last3=Cabana |first3=T. |last4=Lachapelle |first4=P. |year=1999 |title=Behavioral, Morphological and Physiological Correlates of Diurnal and Nocturnal Vision in Selected Wading Bird Species |journal=Brain, Behavior and Evolution |pages=227–242 |issue=5–6 |doi=10.1159/000006596 |pmid=10473901 |volume=53|s2cid=21430848 }}</ref>

<ref name=Santharam1988>{{cite journal |last=Santharam |first=V. |year=1988 |title=Further notes on the local movements of the Pond Heron ''Ardeola grayii'' |journal=[[Newsletter for Birdwatchers]] |volume=28 |issue=1–2 |pages=8–9 |url=https://archive.org/stream/NLBW28_12#page/n9/mode/1up/}}</ref>

<ref name=Seedikkoya2005>{{cite journal |last1=Seedikkoya |first1=K. |last2=Azeez |first2=P.A. |last3=Shukkur |first3=E.A.A. |year=2005 |url=http://orientalbirdclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Seedikkoya-CattleEgret.pdf |title=Cattle Egret ''Bubulcus ibis'' habitat use and association with cattle |journal=[[Forktail (journal)|Forktail]] |volume=21 |pages=174–176}}</ref>

<ref name=Seedikkoya2007>{{cite journal |last1=Seedikkoya |first1=K. |last2=Azeez |first2=P.A. |last3=Shukkur |first3=E.A.A. |journal=Zoos' Print Journal |volume=22 |issue=10 |title=Cattle egret as a biocontrol agent |pages=2864–2866 |doi=10.11609/jott.zpj.1731.2864-6 |year=2007 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

<ref name=Seychelles>{{cite book |last1=Skerrett |first1=A. |last2=Bullock |first2=I. |last3=Disley |first3=T. |year=2001 |title=Birds of the Seychelles |publisher=Helm Field Guides |isbn=0-7136-3973-3}}</ref>

<ref name=Sheldon>{{cite journal |last=Sheldon |first=F.H. |year=1987 |title=Phylogeny of herons estimated from DNA-DNA hybridization data |journal=The Auk |volume=104 |issue=1 |pages=97–108 |url=https://sora.unm.edu/node/24358 |doi=10.2307/4087238|jstor=4087238 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

<ref name=Siegfried1971>{{cite journal |last=Siegfried |first=W.R. |year=1971 |title=The Food of the Cattle Egret |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=447–468 |doi=10.2307/2402882 |publisher=British Ecological Society |jstor=2402882|bibcode=1971JApEc...8..447S }}</ref>

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<ref name=Valpy >{{cite book |last=Valpy |first=Francis Edward Jackson |url=https://archive.org/details/anetymologicald00valpgoog |title=An Etymological Dictionary of the Latin Language |year=1828 |page=[https://archive.org/details/anetymologicald00valpgoog/page/n68 56] |publisher=London; A. J. Valpy }}</ref>

<ref name=Webster>{{cite web |title=Ibis |work=Webster's Online Dictionary |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ibis |publisher=[[Webster's]] |access-date=15 March 2008}}</ref>

<ref name=WLM>{{cite journal |last=McAtee |first=Waldo Lee |date=October 1925 |title=The Buff-backed Egret (''Ardea ibis'' L., Arabic ''Abu Qerdan'') as a Factor in Egyptian Agriculture |journal=The Auk |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=603–604 |url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v042n04/p0603-p0604.pdf |doi=10.2307/4075029|jstor=4075029 }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Cattle_Egret.ogg|date=2009-04-17}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20141202060836/http://aulaenred.ibercaja.es/wp-content/uploads/39_CattleEgretBibis.pdf Ageing and sexing (PDF) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze]
* [http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/071.pdf Cattle Egret] - ''[[Southern African Bird Atlas Project|The Atlas of Southern African Birds]]''
* {{VIREO|Cattle+Egret}}

{{Pelecaniformes genera|A.|state=collapsed}}
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[[Category:Ardea (genus)]]
[[Category:Taxa described in 1855]]
[[Category:Cosmopolitan birds]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte]]
[[Category:Birds of Nepal]]