Cattle Egret stands alert at the nesting colony and displaying beautiful breeding colors; its bill as colorful as candy corn.

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A Cattle Egret , Bubulcus ibis, stands in the breeze at its nesting colony surrounded by green leaves and branches. The intensified colors of the breeding season are evident in in rusty orange head and chese plumes and aigrettes or ornamental back plumes. The bill looks much like orange and yellow candy corn topped with a lore which has turned purple. The legs have reddened considerably as well. Cattle Egrets are a most interesting and lively small heron, ubiquitous here in South Florida though orignally an old world bird which followed the livestock trade to Florida appearing here in the 1940s.

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Size: 3953px × 3163px
Location: Wakodahatchee Rookery, Florida
Photo credit: © Judy Lovell-Janthina Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: aigrettes, bill, bird, breeding, bubulcus, candy, cattle, colony, colors, corn, egret, florida, head, heron, ibis, legs, lore, nesting, plumes, purple, red, rookery, rust, tropical, wetland, white