cattle egret

American  

noun

1. an egret, Bubulcus ibis, cosmopolitan in warmer regions, often associating with grazing animals for the insects that hover around them.

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Etymology

Origin of cattle egret

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

And the birds: great blue heron, green heron, tri-colored heron, great egret, cattle egret, snowy egret, red shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, Coopers hawk.

From Washington Post • Apr. 5, 2023

They can hardly keep up with the variety: caracara, cattle egret, roseate spoonbill, green heron, hummingbirds … Together with Smith Oaks, “it would be our most amazing day of birding ever.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 14, 2018

But for the most part he’d rather focus on a cattle egret perched on a pile of garbage.

From New York Times • Jul. 23, 2010

Jorge teaches Natan to reel in fish, to snorkel, to identify sea creatures and plants, to avoid tempting a crocodile and to befriend a white cattle egret that appears and that they name Blanquita.

From New York Times • Jul. 13, 2010