Western Cattle Egret

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Western Cattle Egret at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve, Rocherpan Nature Reserve, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve and Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve and other reserves. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

The Western Cattle Egret is most recorded in Western Cape (46% of records), Gauteng (14% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (13% of records), based on 3,980 iNaturalist observations. 43 places to stay on Spekboom in Western Cape have recorded the Western Cattle Egret on site or nearby.

The Western Cattle Egret is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Cederberg Wilderness Area: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Goukamma Nature Reserve: year-round, warm Oct-Apr; Rocherpan Nature Reserve: Winter and spring for birds and flowers, Jun-Oct; De Hoop Nature Reserve: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

The cattle egret is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard two of its subspecies as full species, the western cattle egret and the eastern cattle egret.