Cattle Egret

🔍 Overview

Once rare, now a regular and expanding presence in Sussex, especially during winter. It is an increasing visitor and bred for the first time in 2020.

🪶 Key Identification Features

Winter: White plumage, short yellow bill

Breeding: Buff patches on head, chest, and back

Other: Smaller and stockier than Little Egret

🗺️ Habitat & Distribution

Often found with cattle or sheep in fields at Amberley, Chichester, and Pagham Harbour. Numbers peak in autumn and winter.

🎶 Voice & Behaviour

Rough “rak” call. Typically forages among livestock or in floodplain fields.