Egrets are now entering their breeding season here. Thanks for looking Stuart Description: Cattle Egret, Ardea ibis, are 46-54 cm long, with a snowy all white body. They have a shorter neck than other Egrets, and it further retracts when they are standing at rest. Non-breeding birds have a yellow bill & iris, while the legs are greyish-yellow. In late Autumn Cattle Egrets fly north, where they breed in the Spring and acquire orange plumage on their head, chest & back. The legs and bill also become redder, but the bill retains a yellow tip. Some birds still have the breeding plumage when they return to Victoria in the Summer. The Sexes are similar and juveniles resemble non-breeding adults. (Their slightly larger cousin, the Little Egret 56-65cm long, has a black bill.) Flight: Flies in flocks with fast wing beats and legs protruding way beyond tail feathers. Voice: Harsh croaks. Food: In pasture they feed on grass-hoppers and other insects disturbed by grazing stock. Around wetlands they feed on snails, frogs and other small aquatic animals. Habitat: Originally from Africa, they spread to Asia and were first introduced into Australia around 1933 to control noxious insects in cattle country. Their numbers are increasing and they are found in all states of Australia, but are absent from the dry interior. They prefer pasture among grazing stock and are occasionally seen in shallow wetlands, situations which both exist at Bushy Park Wetlands. Breeding: Breeding occurs in northern Australia or Asia. The nest is a saucer shaped platform of sticks and twigs, usually in a tree, but sometimes in bushes and reeds near water. They often nest next to Ibises, Herons and other Egrets. The usual clutch is three to five, 45x33mm white eggs with a blue tinge. Incubation takes 22-26 days and they fledge after 30-40 days.