Cattle egrets are the smallest of Oregon's three egret species, with short, stout neck and legs, and white body with orange-buff plumes on the head and nape in spring and early summer. They are named for their association with livestock, consuming insects on their backs or stirred up by their hooves.

In Oregon, the Cattle egret is a casual transient in spring in the Klamath Basin and rarely in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The least widespread of the state's egrets during the breeding season; a rare breeder in the Great Basin and a few pairs occasionally nesting at Malheur and elsewhere in the Harney Basin. In fall, it is uncommon east of the Cascades. It is also uncommon to rare on the coast and very rare in western interior valleys fall through spring. It is seen in the coastal counties in winter foraging in pastures, golf courses, and grassy areas, sometimes with livestock.

Hear the call of the Cattle egret

Photo by Kathy Munsel, ODFW