Eastern Cattle Egret

What does an Eastern Cattle Egret eat?

The Eastern Cattle Egret feeds on the cattle egret feeds on a wide range of prey, particularly insects, especially grasshoppers, crickets, flies, and moths, as well as spiders, frogs, and earthworms. in a rare instance they have been observed foraging along the branches of a banyan tree for ripe figs. the species is usually found with cattle and other large grazing and browsing animals, and catches small creatures disturbed by the mammals. studies have shown that cattle egret foraging success is much higher when foraging near a large animal than when feeding singly. when foraging with cattle, it has been shown to be 3.6 times more successful in capturing prey than when foraging alone. its performance is similar when it follows farm machinery, but it is forced to move more. in urban situations cattle egrets have also been observed foraging in peculiar situations like railway lines. a cattle egret will weakly defend the area around a grazing animal against others of the same species, but if the area is swamped by egrets it will give up and continue foraging elsewhere. where numerous large animals are present, cattle egrets selectively forage around species that move at around 5–15 steps per minute, avoiding faster and slower moving herds. the cattle egret may also show versatility in its diet. on islands with seabird colonies and it will prey on the eggs and chicks of terns and other seabirds. during migration it has also been reported to eat exhausted migrating landbirds..