Pixel Wild
Western Cattle-Egret
Western Cattle-Egret
Ardea ibis
Aves
COMMON

Stats

Lifespan
10-16 yrs
Size
Medium
Diet
Insectivore
Activity
Diurnal
Social
Colony
Biome
Freshwater wetland
Range
Africa and southern Europe
Movement
Flight
Breeding
Egg-laying
Defense
Herd Safety
Status
Common

About

A stocky, short-necked heron that follows large grazing animals to snatch insects and small prey flushed from the grass. During breeding season, adults develop striking orange-buff plumes on the head, breast, and back.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    egg
    A clutch of eggs is incubated in the nest, kept warm by a brooding parent until the chicks pip free.
  2. 2.
    hatchling
    A naked or downy hatchling is fed in the nest by its parents.
  3. 3.
    juvenile
    A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest and learns to fly and forage.
  4. 4.
    adult
    Fully grown with adult plumage.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Pelecaniformes
Family
Ardeidae
Genus
Ardea
Species
Ardea ibis