A cattle egrets seem busy in feeding their offspring at nest on a tree in Guwahati on 22-05-24.The cattle egret is a small white heron about 19-21 inches in length with a wingspan of about three feet. It often looks like it is hunched over. It has short legs and a thick neck compared to other species of egrets. Adults have dull yellow or orange bills and dull orange legs. Immature cattle egrets have black legs and bills. During breeding season it has a brownish crown and chest and its eyes, legs and bill are red.
The cattle egret is most often found near farmland and livestock. It also can be found in wetlands. Cattle egrets are very social. They gather in large colonies of cattle egrets and other bird species. In addition to following livestock, they also follow farm equipment like tractors to catch insects that are disturbed. Males claim territory before mating begins. They will go through a variety of display behaviors to attract females. Females will gather in their territory and sometimes jump on the backs of the males.
Eventually, the male will evict all but one female. Both the male and the female work on building a nest. The male brings the materials; sometimes stealing sticks from the nests of other egrets. The female constructs the nest. The nest is made of sticks and is built in a bush or a tree. The female lays three to five eggs and both parents incubate the eggs. The chicks hatch in between three and four weeks and fledge when they are a month old. Both parents care for the chicks. Cattle egrets nest in colonies with other species of egrets
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