Cattle Egrets!
A flock of Cattle Egrets were spotted on the grassy banks of the ponds at the Souliere Villas in The Villages, Florida a few days ago. This area has recently been developed and there are still several open fields there. The area is also pretty close to small horse farms, too. Cattle Egrets are usually found near horse or cattle pastures as they dine on insects attracted by the livestock.
These are medium-sized white-colored egrets that have a distinctive mustard yellow streak on their back near the neck and head. They also have a yellow bill. This flock was lounging and roosting among the scrubby low trees on the edge of the two man-made water retention ponds. Please click on the thumbnail image to see the slightly larger version of the picture. Enjoy!