cattle egret

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of cattle egret¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

The bird-catchers spend six weeks every year in obtaining cattle-egret plumes in this manner.

From Project Gutenberg

If it were as showy as the cattle egret its intended victims would “see it coming” and mock at it.

From Project Gutenberg