Last week while calling coyotes in South Texas, I saw an Egret or one of those white cow birds standing on the back of a brahman cow and I noticed that it had something in its mouth. Upon closer examination, I realized that it was a medium sized horned toad. Is this common practice????? I was under the assumption that these non indigenous birds were insect eaters and might be somewhat beneficial...Now beginning to wonder.
Adios,
Gary

They eat crawfish too, so they're not just bug eaters.

Charlie

That's easier ta believe than killer hogs... Bugs are source of protein, if all ya can.afford is hamburger week after week, a steak looks good... Just a change in diet...

It is important to understand that when it comes to most animals, while they may have preferred or typical diets, it does not mean that those totally limiting diets. No doubt there are some obligate feeders, but most animals are not.

I think this description from the Audubon Society says it nicely... http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/cattle-egret

Are they not native? I had no idea they were exotic/invasive species, I was under the impression they were protected by law so always assumed they were native.

Any good survivor takes what it can get when it can get it

The Cattle Egret spread here naturally, mostly arriving in the 1950's. They are not an introduced non-native species such as the European Starling or English House sparrow.

They are primarily insectivores. As the name implies, they are especially linked to cattle and eat insects off of the cow as well as insects they find on the ground. Likely that was just a target of opportunity and it probably wondered what do to with it once in its mouth.

Yes, they are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Thanks for sharing jeffbird.

You're welcome.

I've been involved in bird conservation for the last twenty years as an avocation. The "bird" in my handle comes from my love of birds and involvement in the conservation issues. A bird sanctuary on the upper coast was named after me for my many hours of volunteer efforts, and is one of the most meaningful things to have happened to me in my life.

How did I get interested in birds? Spent many hours sitting around while hunting or fishing with little activity and started noticing the birds and other wildlife.

Then at some point, the light bulb clicked on that I could go out and enjoy the birds even when not hunting.

The conservation ethics taught in hunting set the stage for the connection to bird conservation. When I give talks a couple of times a year about bird conservation, I include the role hunting plays in providing economic incentives to preserve native habitats, which benefits birds, reptiles and all manner of wildlife and native plants.

What's really interesting is that as time has gone on, I have a couple of Vegan friends, who while they will not hunt, have become supporters of hunting because of the role it plays in preserving the natural habitat, and also controlling deer and pigs which have negative impacts on forests here in the Hill Country. So, I share hunting with the bird people and birds with the hunting folks. They really both have the same love of the outdoors, birds and wildlife.

Anyway, you're welcome, just rambling some this morning.

After your comment I was curious about the bird bit in your handle.

Love watching the birds, they do provide entertainment for the slow times on stand or on the water.

It depends on how you qualify something as native/exotic/invasive. As noted, they were not intentionally brought here and released. They arrived in South America from Africa in the late 1800s, purportedly via storm winds. Since then have managed to migrate throughout the Americas. That would seem to make them "invasive" but they are not categorized as such because they don't seem to be negatively displacing native wildlife or doing significant harm.

Many animals are here in the US naturally that are not "native" to hear but are considered to be native taxa. For example, the elk did not arrive in our part of the world until the Pleistocene, particularly near the end of it. The armadillos natural migration from Mexico into Texas is well documented from the early 1900s.

Yes it is, rats, mice, snakes, and small fish out of shallow holes or ditches. They are a health threat when they roost in your tree and nest. there will be many, and the feces will be nasty, but you cannot disturb them once nesting even though your health is at risk. Don't understand this as they are not native or introduced.

??? They are primarily tied to grasslands and ag fields. As for nesting, they tend to nest in large rookeries with other herons and egrets in emergent wetlands. Don't recall ever seeing an egret and heron rookery in a tree in someone's yard or anyone claiming they became ill from a heron/egret rookery. Guess it is possible, just have never heard of it. Now grackles, different story.

The egret rookery I have seen is in Mississippi and was a good half mile from the nearest house. After they had been using it for a few years the trees were dying.

Pretty sure they roost in trees in Rockport, and they hate lazers

They had a roost/nest/rookery off of a local county road where I live. It made the paper. Awefull smell many many birds killed by cars etc. I'm not sure what happened to it but they don't nest there any more. I'm sure the home owners near by may have grown tired of them.

Just my own definition, but if man didn't bring them here and they got here on their own will, power, and guidance then I would consider them native. If they expand their coverage under their own power I would consider it native.

fwiw - here are some photos of white egrets and herons.

Cattle Egret, very typical behavior, they tend to stay in flocks and forage in grassland, especially with cattle. Yellow bills with yellow legs for field marks.



Snowy Egret - usually solitary, perhaps a few individuals if there is a good food source. These are more closely tied to aquatic habitats.

The black bill, black legs, and distinctive yellow feet are field i.d. marks.




This is the Great Egret, is double the size of a Cattle Egret or Snowy Egret, approximately the same size as a Great Blue Heron. These usually are solitary and feed opportunistically in aquatic habitats as well as grasslands. Note the all yellow bill in addition to the much larger size.




Great Egret in breeding plumage. The breeding plumes were fashionable for ladies' hats in the 1800's. The plumes were collected by market hunters rowing a punt (a small rowboat) up to a rookery and firing a punt gun (huge shotgun, more like a small cannon) into the rookery.

Many of the high society ladies from Boston and New York wintered in Florida. They happened to witness a hunter wiping out a rookery and connected the dots to the hat on their head. These ladies who were in many elite clubs and societies decided to do something about it. They formed "Audubon societies" named after the famous bird artist, many of whom directly supported him financially. One of the very first Audubon societies was in Galveston, but wiped out with the Great Storm of 1900. Houston Audubon today is a leader in bird conservation in Texas, especially along the upper and central Texas coasts.

These ladies were married to leaders of the country and pushed their husbands to do something. That initial drive by these ladies and their friends built the political will to pass the first laws creating hunting seasons, bag limits, and limiting the species that could be hunted. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act and later laws came into existence because of their efforts, which was joined by some leading conservation minded hunters, Teddy Roosevelt being the foremost example. The National Audubon's logo/symbol is the Great Egret from this origin of the bird conservation laws.




Last is the Great Blue Heron. These eat insects, frogs, snakes, fish and I've even seen one spear a gopher under the ground, which was amazing to watch. Usually, they are solitary and stand about three feet tall.

Here you go. City of Carrollton got in big trouble over this....
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/farmers-...on-neighborhood

I remember that incident well, which involved several species of egrets, normally tied to aquatic habitats. Note that it occurred in 2011, which is the worst drought year in recorded Texas history, which disrupted lots of wildlife activity and patterns. Lots of wildlife moved into suburban areas during the drought years. In 2011 and 2012, I was doing bird surveys in pristine tracts of habitat and did not see a single deer track (and dramatically reduced numbers of birds). Yet, I would come home and deer would stand and watch for me to put out a pan of water. Rookeries almost always will be in the middle of a trees in a body of water as protection from coons and possums, among other predators.

But the big question is. Do they taste like dove, quail or chicken?

??? They are primarily tied to grasslands and ag fields. As for nesting, they tend to nest in large rookeries with other herons and egrets in emergent wetlands. Don't recall ever seeing an egret and heron rookery in a tree in someone's yard or anyone claiming they became ill from a heron/egret rookery. Guess it is possible, just have never heard of it. Now grackles, different story. Ask the people from one part of town in Taylor Texas. What they had to put up with was ridiculous. They finally got relief by using all sorts of noise makers and water sprinklers when the first birds appeared.

Had a Great blue Heron follow me around fishing the other day. We were drifting along a cut, fishing with shrimp under corks. As I replaced a bait, I was throwing the dead shrimp over to the edge of the cut in shallow water. I guess he saw me doing this and started following me around. He looked like he was begging for a handout. He followed us for most the morning. Pretty cool.

While everyone is thinking birds, what are your thoughts on the Kara Karas that appear to be expanding their range across much of the state???? When I was raised on the Medina, Frio County line, it was rare to see the Mexican Eagles this far north. Now I am seeing them as far north as San Angelo and they seem to be more aggressive than they were in the past. Same can be said for the black-headed vultures with the shorter wings, they too are very aggressive and don't migrate south out of Menard County for the winter as the red-headed vultures or buzzards do.
Adios,
Gary

Don't like them, they seem to compete with our vultures, and are more aggressive keeping the vultures at bay. We are being invaded by animals also.

How long has it been since you have seen a horned toad??? Near the ranch where I witnessed the egret consuming a horned toad, my Dad worked on a lease for Shell Oil. There were so many horned toads that he could load his lunch box during the noon hour and bring them home to the ranch. Steve thought that he saw one other horned toad other than the one that was a meal for the bird. How long has it been since you saw a terrapin or box turtle, perhaps the favorite live meal of the Kara Kara??? While we protect the birds that have moved in over the last several decades, I have seen the decline of the critters that I grew up playing with. I am sure that there may be other reasons for their demise but I know that the aerial attacks from these birds had a lot to do with it.
Adios,
Gary