Cattle Egret

The cattle egret is a small, stocky white heron rarely found near water — it prefers meadows, where it follows cows and horses to catch grasshoppers and insects disturbed by their hooves. It is the only European heron that feeds mainly on dry land. During the breeding season, its head and back turn golden orange, making it easy to tell apart from the little egret. Originally from Africa, it colonised France in the twentieth century and continues to expand northward — a traveller that never stops.