The Cattle Egret, The Bird That Conquered The World
The Cattle Egret is a species that is not known to many. However, it is amazing to know that it is the bird that has led the largest and fastest natural expansion. It became an authentic conqueror without the need for human collaboration.
Meet the Cattle Egret
This bird lives in practically all subtropical, tropical and temperate regions of the planet. It is present on all continents, despite being native to the Old World, except Antarctica.
The slender whitish body decorated with orange or gold feathers on the head and neck is one of the particular characteristics of this bird.
In addition, they build their nests on high branches near the water and nests of other waders such as the birch.
Its name is due to the fact that it is an animal that normally climbs or approaches bovines or other large mammals, in order to consume the insects frightened by these.
The Incredible Expansion of the Cattle Egret
This bird is native to the humid regions of Africa, tropical Asia and the south of the Iberian Peninsula. However, since the mid-19th century, there are records that they began to expand into southern Africa. This led to its breeding in Cape province in the early 20th century.
The Cattle Egret was first sighted in the United States in 1877, specifically between Guyana and Suriname. For that, it seems that it had to cross the entire Atlantic Ocean from the African continent.
It was during World War II that the Cattle Egret began to colonize the United States. Surprisingly, during 1962 it began to breed in Canada, a much cooler country.
At the same time, it expanded to the south in countries such as Cuba, Costa Rica and Mexico. In addition, it reached South America, specifically in Peru and other countries in Latin America.
In Europe, its expansion began in the 20th century and colonized practically the entire Iberian Peninsula, France and Italy.
Just a decade ago, in 2008, its creation was recorded in the UK and Ireland. In Australia, in the 1940s, she began to settle across the continent and began visiting New Zealand.
Why has the Cattle Egret adapted to so many places?
The expansion of the Cattle Egret is one of the most incredible in the animal kingdom and it is believed that, as with all abrupt changes in nature, man is seriously involved in it, although many do not fully understand the relationship.
In fact, it’s quite simple: as already mentioned, the heron often takes advantage of the presence of large animals to catch insects.
And man is responsible for the huge expansion of cows, horses and other species that herons can take advantage of.
Thus, the expansion of extensive cattle raising has been responsible for the colonization of this species of heron. Also, she doesn’t need to have abundant aquatic areas to live on like the rest of the herons.
The Cattle Egret also has a certain migratory and traveling character, which facilitates the expansion of the species.
While most migratory birds tend to colonize new areas due to changes in climate, it appears that the heron depends more on livestock, which is why man’s expansion has been so beneficial to her.
On rare occasions, this colonization was caused directly by man, so there are places where the heron is considered an invasive alien species, although its impact is practically nil.
