tiz-aves:Species | Western cattle egretThe western cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a heron with a gl
tiz-aves:Species | Western cattle egretThe western cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a heron with a global range of 10.000.000 km² and it is famous for having undergone one of the most rapid and wide reaching natural expansions of any bird species. Originally, it was native to parts of Southern Spain and Portugal, tropical Africa and parts of Western Asia. They first arrived in the Americas in 1941, started breeding in Florida in 1953 before rapidly expanding their range until they reached Canada and South America less than 20 years later.Western cattle egrets will weakly defend the area surrounding a grazing animal against members of it’s species, but if the area is swamped they will simply give up and forage elsewhere. Cattle egrets are popular amongst cattle ranchers, as their habit of following around herds helps reducing parasites such as ticks or flies. In fact, their benefit is so significant that the Hawaiian Board of Agriculture and Forestry actively released the species in Hawaii. Photo credits: Frédéric Wecksteen -- source link