Cattle egret

    Bubulcus ibis

Castilian: Garcilla bueyera

Catalan: Esplugabous

Gallego: Garza boieira

Euskera: Lertxuntxo itzaina

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Ciconiiformes

Family: Ardeidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category.

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THREATS

Changes to waste management systems in landfills and human destruction of nests are the primary threats.

Length / size: 45-52 cm / 82-95 cm

Identification: Small to medium-sized bird with a white, compact body. During its reproductive period its crown nape, breast and back have an orangeish colour, and its legs, bill and eyes are reddish. In flight it maintains its neck tucked in in the shape of an “S” and its legs outstretched.

Song: In colonies it makes different crowing sounds; in flight it makes somewhat softer sounds, "egh egh".

Diet: It feeds on insects, reptiles, and micromammals, which it catches from its position on top of cattle; it is also common to see this bird behind tractors as it eats the animals that come out of the vehicle's path, and in landfills because it is attracted by the insects that are concentrated there.

Reproduction: It is a colonial species when breeding, and can even mix with other species of herons in colonies of several thousand pairs.The female builds the nest above trees, using the materials that the male brings her (roots, branches and sometimes a layer of grass), and both sexes are responsible for incubation. After 20 days, the chicks are already moving about the tree branches.

HABITAT

It occupies farmland, grasslands, and pastures with abundant livestock, in addition to some marshy areas.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed in two areas: one western (western Andalusia, Extremadura, Castile-La Mancha, Castile and León, Madrid) and one eastern (Levante, Aragon, Navarre and Basque Country), in addition to the concentrations present in the Balearic Islands.

In Castile and León: There are two fundamental breeding colonies: one in the River Duero (Zamora) and the other in the River Órbigo (León).

Movements and migrations: Medium-range scatterings and migrations have been observed straying from the breeding colonies. Iberian speciments have also been found wintering in other countries, and in the Canary Islands they are common in passage and during winter.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of at least 65000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 97 breeding pairs.