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Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Picnic on the beach: Feeding on insects on Assateague's ponies.
Below: Horse Egrets... I mean, Cattle Egrets... in Worcester Co., Maryland (8/6/2006). This species has naturally extended its range from Africa to every continent but Antarctica. It specializes in feeding on insects kicked up by grazing mammals. It seems horses and cattle work just as well as zebras and rhinos.
Below: A juvenile Cattle Egret in Howard Co., Maryland (8/31/2007).
Below: A Cattle Egret in high breeding plumage in eastern Puerto Rico (4/6/2009).
Below: A Cattle Egret on Assateague Island, Maryland (9/25/2009).
Below: A lingering Cattle Egret at the Ocean City Airport, Worcester Co., Maryland (11/11/2010).
Below: A late Cattle Egret across from the visitor center at Assateague Island, Maryland (12/5/2010). Rare even on the Rarity Roundup in mid-November, this was a new December species for everyone present this weekend.
