Cattle egret
Cattle egrets are a worldwide success story. Although native to Africa and Eurasia, they invaded South America during the last century and have since spread rapidly northwards and now occupy much of North America. I photographed these birds at a small breeding colony in some planted African thorn trees at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, near Escondido, California. The pure white bird (below, right) is a nearly-fledged chick; the others are adults in various stages of breeding plumage.
Images copyright by Mark A. Chappell
