Adaptiveness of Cattle Egret’s (Bubulcus ibis) foraging

Abstract

Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis) feeding in close association with cattle catch insect prey at a significantly higher rate and expend less energy than do those foraging alone. Cattle Egrets once had a strong association with grazing cattle, but have now shifted themselves behind tractors specially in inundated agricultural fields. Captures per minute were 2.06 for the egrets feeding near the head, 0.85 while sharing with a cow and lowest when the egrets were feeding alone. The egrets with exclusive access to a cow always foraged better and caught significantly more number of prey than the others. A comparison between cattle and tractor in terms of capture per minute reveals the tractor to be more efficient in exposing the prey. Probably it wont be unfair to rename a Cattle Egret a Tractor Egret looking at its adaptiveness in foraging efficiently with tractors!