Mystery Bird: Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis

I'm going to say it's a cattle egret. Easily distinguished from the snowy egret because it has black feet instead of orange feet. The way to remember this is that your feet would be black, too, if you hung out too much in cow pastures. ;-)

The black feet are an important identifying characteristic, but, in my experience, cattle egrets are never that white. I'm guessing Great Egret.

Hmmmm.... My first thought was Great Egret -- the legs seem too heavy for Snowy or Reddish Egret. Cattle Egrets as adults have yellow legs. However, this bird has yellow coming in on the right leg, and I can't find any source that shows yellow legs at any point in a Great Egret's life. Cattle Egrets are shorter-legged than most of our egrets, and immatures seem to have darker legs, at least in the books. Cattle Egrets only show the buff color in breeding plumage -- at which point the legs wouldn't be dark anyways. Juveniles could easily be this white.

Guess I'll go with Cattle Egret.

I agree on the Cattle egret, with the black feet/legs and yellow on legs during the summer months....Snowy is just the reverse...great egret has all black legs.

Ah yes... the headless egret... with the most obvious of all field marks...

The legs look proportionately too short for Great White Egret and the beginnings of yellow on the upper leg would suggest immature Cattle Egret.

Adrian, Ruthie, psweet, Russell,

I agree with the nominate subspecies of Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis ibis, but stipulating that it is non-breeding because of the greyish-yellow legs (this photo is from August, breeding season in Texas is April through October)...

although it could also be any one of the following: Afrikaanse koereiger, buff-backed heron, depulgabuey, elephant bird, garcilla bueyera, garcilla garrapatera, garcita de ganado, garrapatera, garrapatosa, garza de ganado, garza de vaquèra, garza ganadera, héron garde-boeufs, hippopotomus egret, Indian cattle egret, or rhinoceros egret...!

Did you guys miss one (hidden inside the Birds on a Wire music post)?

http://scienceblogs.com/grrlscientist/2009/09/birds_on_a_wire_music_by_…

Here is a memory assist for beginning birders who can't remember which egret has the yellow feet.

You have heard the skier's admonition "don't eat yellow snow"? Well, the Snow-y Egret has been out walking in some yellow snow..........

Slightly disgusting but it does stick in your mind.