Birds of a Feather: Egret Explosion

For the last few years thousands of cattle egrets have formed a massive colony on Bruce Dopslauf’s property along FM 155 near Mullins Prairie.

“I’ve got one or two out there,” Dopslauf said. 

As their name implies, cattle egrets hold a close relationship with cows. Cattle egrets may pick a few flies off their grazing partners. The real feast comes with all the grasshoppers and other insects the cows stir out of the grass while grazing.

In recent years cattle egrets have experienced a population boom. Dopslauf said the birds started showing up at his place about three years ago.

The birds are native to Africa. They are members of the heron family of birds. Researchers believe cattle egrets flew across the Atlantic and established themselves in South America around the 1870s. Since then the species has spread throughout most of the Americas...

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