Bird
Eastern Cattle Egret
Bubulcus coromandusAlso known as Coromandel Cattle Egret, Asian Cattle Egret
Eastern cattle egrets are compact, gregarious herons renowned for foraging alongside water buffalo, cattle, and farm machinery to seize fleeing insects. During the breeding season, adults undergo a dramatic transformation, developing rich golden-buff breeding plumes across their head, chest, and back while their bills flush bright orange-pink. They roost and nest in bustling colonial heronries, often mingling with other wading birds in trees overhanging water.
GregariousFarmland WaderInsectivorous
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyShort-horned grasshopper, Field cricket, Rice field frog
Predators
- White-bellied sea eagle
- Water monitor
- Peregrine falcon
ThreatsAgricultural pesticide exposure, habitat conversion, and disturbance at colonial nesting trees
HabitatsPastures, flooded rice paddies, open grasslands, savannas, and freshwater margins
Life span10–15 years in the wild
Classification
- OrderPelecaniformes
- FamilyArdeidae
- GenusBubulcus
- SpeciesBubulcus coromandus
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Binocular Distance: Watch from field margins as they forage around livestock to avoid flushing them.
- Breeding Season Observation: Visit mixed heronries in late spring to view their vibrant golden plumage without approaching nesting trees.
- Agricultural Etiquette: Stay along established roads or berms when scanning active rice fields and pastures.
Neighbor Shantanu Kuveskar / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Neighbor (c) Kim, Hyun-tae, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Kim, Hyun-tae · cc-by
Symbiont (c) Alex Stach, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Alex Stach · cc-by
Close Relative "Cattle Egret in Breeding Plumage" by Koshyk is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
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Found in Collections
Ecosystem chain
Wetland Territory
Eastern Cattle Egret is found in this collection. Identify it in Fauna to fill this slot and continue your progress.
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