Now that my oldest grandson has reached his teens, his interest in birding has, for some reason, waned. This morning, I thus took his younger brother down to Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area for his initial introduction to birding. Planning to concentrate on common, large species that would not frustrate his experience or test his patience, I was pleased to encounter a pair of cattle egrets feeding in a grassy area along the central channel; though they have recently been reported at Eagle Bluffs, these were the first I have observed at the refuge in hundreds of visits.
Absent from North America until 70 years ago, cattle egrets are natives of Africa that have now spread to all Continents except Antarctica. Permanent residents along the Gulf Coast, throughout Florida and in certain locations of the Desert Southwest, many breed throughout the Southeastern U.S. and scattered populations now nest throughout most of the country. Here in Missouri, they are primarily migrants but that status will likely change in the near future.
Unlike most herons and egrets with which they often nest in mixed colonies, cattle egrets are not generally found in wetlands. Rather, these relatively small "waders" forage on grasslands, often in the company of livestock; there they consume insects that are attracted to or stirred up by the cattle. No doubt, sightings at Eagle Bluffs will continue to increase as their summer range expands.
