Anyone else have these birds around?

[Little Cow]

I love these guys! They are native to Africa, according to my Florida wildlife guide. Not sure how these Crested Cattle Egrets were introduced to Florida. Maybe by cattlemen?

They are shy with people, but it didn't take long after we moved here for my cows to let them pick off the bugs, even from their ears!

 

[KNERSIE]

they are plentiful, I'll try and get some photos

 

[Jogeephus]

Flocks of em come in when cutting hay. Appears they will eat anything from mice to bugs.

 

[Chuckie]

I see them occassionally, but regretfully, in someone else's pasture. They hang with the cattle and stand on their backs. I love to see them and would love it even better if they would visit our cattle. Anything after pests are welcome.
Chuckie

 

[BAGTIC]

Cattle egrets are from Africa but they were not 'introduced'.
They made it to Brazil on their own back in the mid 1940's and have been spreading ever since.

I haven't seen them around here in the Ozarks, yet, but they were common in California's Central Valley when I lived there. Don't seem to do any harm, mostly they eat insects stirred up by cattle's hooves.

 

[mdmdogs3]

I've seen them around here so BAGTIC they aren't far from you yet....

 

[CowpokeJ]

Caustic, do you have any of these rare birds in your neck of the woods? :tiphat:

 

[Proverbs 12:10]

They come and go around our place. Wish I could find way to get them to stay all the time.

 

[dun]

I haven't seen them around here in the Ozarks, yet, but they were common in California's Central Valley when I lived there. Don't seem to do any harm, mostly they eat insects stirred up by cattle's hooves.

We have them occasionally in this part of the Ozarks. Some years we'll see a few, some years none.

dun

 

[backhoeboogie]

They come around here in the summer and hang out with the cows. Apparently they have some serious nesting going on in the Fort Worth area and there is lot of complaints about them in the cities. Shucks, for the good they do they are welcome to nest on my place, if they would.

 

[vs_cattle]

Im in central Cali I havent seen them around but there out here I see them once in a while buy Im near a HWY so maybe there scared of the noice here I dont know

 

[Little Cow]

My horses benefit from them as well. Saw one riding my mare the other day! At least shes getting riddden, right? :lol: I won't have time for another couple weeks, (working on my master's and finals are coming up).

 

[Auburn_Ag]

When I worked in South AL I was told the common name for them was "Cow Birds".

 

[flaboy?]

When I worked in South AL I was told the common name for them was "Cow Birds".

Yep, that's right. Call them anything else down here and you get looked at like you have a third eye in the middle of your head.

 

[cagle520]

They are fun to watch, but you don't want them to nest on your place. Not far from where I live they decided to move in a nice clump of trees by a small pond. At first a pretty site the white birds in the green trees, but after about a month no leaves and most of the bark was white and the ground cover was white also. Needless to say the trees died.

 

[KNERSIE]

Here is the promised pic, seeing them everyday is a lot easier than trying to photograph them, they obviously are camera shy.

In Afrikaans they are called "bosluisvoëls", directly translated as tick birds.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

ive seen them this far north for a few years don't know if its do to drought . they hang out on the backs of cattle for a easy meal

 

[ChrisB]

I had one hang around for a couple days last summer or maybe it was the summer before. I had to get my mothers bird book to find out exactly what it was. So they've made it at least as far north as central MN.

 

[new_guy]

they don't just eat bugs, one of our hands watched a cow bird eat 5 or 6 small Quail.

 

[preston39]

They are part of naures clean-up crew. They love to follow any tilling or cutting machine and seem to take everything edible left behind. They seem to like the pieced snakes...they gobble 'em down. They must like fresh kill because they stay very close to the back of a mower.

Neat birds.