Anyone else have these birds around?

[MikeC]

You should see a "covey" of these things wipe out a bumblebee gound nest that has been run over by a hay cutter. :lol:

They will hang around and eat every single one!

 

[johndeerefarmer]

We have them here in north Texas. They eat the grasshoppers and other bugs that the cows stir up as they graze. I believe that they also eat the horse flies.

Lot's of the time they will stand on the cow's back

 

[Dusty Britches]

We call them

TICK Birds.

The cow birds are the little black ones that hang around in mid spring. When the Tick Birds show up, you know spring is almost over and summer will be here soon. I love to see the Tick Birds in my pasture.

Cattle egrets are an endangered species. In town they had a problem with the birds nesting in such mass they were creating a health hazard. The city folk wanted them gone, but couldn't kill them. The country folk wanted them nesting in the country. Finally, the city bulldozed the trees while the birds were out in the fields eating. They moved out of town after that.

 

[preston39]

http://www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/azcategret.html

Very interesting animal.

Their visiting is to short. Does anyone know how to attract them for ALL summer...hopefully.?

 

[peg4x4]

Cow birds are nasty little black birds with a brown head that lays it's eggs in other birds nests for them to raise..When the cowbird hatches,it throws the other eggs or baby birds out of the nest..It is an insult to call a Cattle Egret a cowbird..

 

[Dusty Britches]

Tick birds stay around us all summer. When they leave, you know winter is chasing them.

 

[IL Rancher]

We had a pair a couple years in a row that visted for the end of April/beggining of May... been a couple years since we have seen them, haven't showed up this year but the Gulls have already been here and left..

 

[BAGTIC]

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

Used to see a lot of them in the sheep pastures south-southest of Dixon, Calif. and also around Los Banos.

The only egrets I have seen around here are the big tall native american egrets. Last year 16 of them landed at my biggest pond and spent the whole day eaing baby frogs (There were thousands of them), leaving just before dark. Never saw them before or since.

 

[Caustic Burno]

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

Yep lots of them, seem to really be a benifical bird.
I have noticed they will tell you right fast if army worms are in your pasture, they come in by the hundreds.

 

[Horticattleman]

In S. Louisiana they are ANYTHING but rare!

 

[Beefy]

not rare at all here.

 

[TheBullLady]

All over here in central Texas as well. We start seeing them as early as March, and they stay until it gets really cold.. like November or December.

As stated earlier, they are great for eating insects. When the grasshoppers were really bad here, they were very busy birds!

 

[mom to 4]

We have a few show up every year about this time in so. Illinois.