Cattle Egret

Bubulcus ibis

The Cattle Egret is a small egret originally from Eurasia/Africa but now colonised worldwide. Although it nests near water, classed as a "wader" and will eat fish/crustaceans, it is more usually associated with cattle and other large livestock (hence its common English and scientific names) and eats insects disturbed by them or on them such as ticks.
The Cattle Egret's non-breeding plumage is white, its bill yellow and legs grey/yellow; breeding plumage has a red pink blush on head, face and throat, with red beak, legs and, sometimes, irises.

Male and female have similar plumage (juvenile has black bill)	Non-breeding all white plumage (sometimes dark grey legs)	Breeding plumage pink head and throat (Asian sub-species)
A food morsel		A gregarious bird which nests in colonies in trees