This little bird is all the same bird. The one you see hanging around the cow pastures. They eat the bugs that the cows stir up when the cows are eating the grass. They have an amazing transformation during mating season. They get bright color beaks, red eyes and pink legs when they are looking for some action as you see in the first 4 pictures. The bottom 2 pictures I took the same day of cattle egrets that are either done with mating are just getting started. The bottom one still has the pink legs but has lost most of the bright colors in his beak and face. Gatorland was full of cattle egrets in early April. Some were sitting on nests with eggs already. Some were still flirting. They are so much fun to watch. Soon they will all be plain ole white like the one below I took several years ago.
WoW!!!!! what awesome captures!!! i love all the shades of orange/peach in this little guy!!! and boy those eyes are gorgeous!!!!
Pretty shots of the Cattle Egret. They do look gorgeous in their breeding colors.. Thank you for linking up! Have a happy weekend!
I love the Cattle Egret. Great picture.
Great captures! I have only seen a Great Egret – it’s neat to see a different variant of this bird.
Simply stunning shots of the cattle egret. I love watching these guys … they get into everything! happy critter day!
What an absolutely gorgeous bird!
Great photos. Hope you’ll come link up at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2015/05/the-bubble-man.html
Wonderful captures especially love them in breeding plumage.
Fantastic captures.
Great pics and good teaching tool for beginner birders. I remember being amazed totally when I first learned these were the same birds in breeding plumage.