Cattle Egret

The cattle egret is a 46–56 cm long heron. The non-breeding adult has white plumage, a yellow bill and greyish-yellow legs. During the breeding season, adults of the western subspecies develop orange-buff plumes on the back, breast and crown, and the bill, legs and irises become bright red for a brief period prior to pairing. The sexes are similar, but the male is larger and has slightly longer breeding plumes. The juvenile birds lack coloured plumes and have a black bill.