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Where to see

Where to see the Western Cattle Egret in South Africa

Hosts have recorded the Western Cattle Egret at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve and Kruger National Park.

Ardea ibis

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Western Cattle Egret
Photo: (c) Cristian Hurtado Cusnir, some rights reserved (CC BY)

Planning a trip

When and where to find the Western Cattle Egret

Hosts have recorded the Western Cattle Egret at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve and Kruger National Park.

Best hours of the day

  • The first hours after sunrise, and late afternoon. Birds call and feed most in the cool.
  • Midday. Quieter, especially in summer heat.

Where to base yourself

  • Western Cape

    Western Cape

    Cederberg Wilderness Area · Goukamma · Rocherpan

    Self-driveMalaria-free
    Stays in Western Cape
    Western Cape
  • Limpopo

    Limpopo

    Kruger

    Self-drive
    Stays in Limpopo
    Limpopo
  • Eastern Cape

    Eastern Cape

    Kwandwe

    Guided drivesMalaria-free
    Stays in Eastern Cape
    Eastern Cape
  • Mpumalanga

    Mpumalanga

    Sabi Sand

    Guided drives
    Stays in Mpumalanga
    Mpumalanga

Ways to look

Drive yourself

Your own vehicle and pace, on the park's roads.

Where hosts record it

Cederberg Wilderness AreaGoukammaKrugerRocherpanDe Hoop

Guided drives from a lodge

A guide who knows where to look, with off-road and night drives in the private reserves.

Where hosts record it

KwandweSabi Sand

Species

Ardea ibis

Records

3,980

iNaturalist observations

Every booking on Spekboom supports conservation.

Questions travellers ask

A record means a host has seen the Western Cattle Egret on the property or nearby. It is never a guarantee of a sighting.

Which parks and reserves are best for the Western Cattle Egret in South Africa?

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Western Cattle Egret at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve, Kruger National Park, Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, Rocherpan Nature Reserve and De Hoop 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.

Where can you see the Western Cattle Egret in South Africa?

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. 71 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Western Cattle Egret on site or nearby.

When is the best time to see the Western Cattle Egret?

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; Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; Kwandwe Private Game Reserve: year-round, best Mar-May, Sep-Nov. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

What is the Western Cattle Egret?

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.

Stays that give back

Where to stay for a chance to see the Western Cattle Egret

Every stay on the Western Cattle Egret page lists the species its host has recorded on or near the property. A record is a sighting, never a promise.

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