I took this picture of the calf with the egrets in the nursery of the Forest Deparment near my home. At first , the birds would fly away as soon as I focussed my camera. After standingstill for a long time, I convinced the egrets that I meant them no harm.
The Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis is a small white heron which follows cattle and eats the insects disturbed by them. Their name Bubulcus in Latin means 'herdsman', which is quite apt. The bird removes ticks and flies from cattle. It is a usual sight in Indian countryside to see these birds riding on buffaloes. The egret has been introduced into many countries as it is an effective biocontrol of many parasites of cattle. There is a downside too to this bird, as it spreads diseases among cattle.
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