THE CATTLE EGRET 
Bubulcus tbis coromandvs (Bodd.) 
M a lay m m e : — Ba ngaii . 
Descriftioti \ — in the course of one year the cattle egret 
is seen in two quite different plumag^es. In the winter or 
non-breeding pkimage it h quite white, but in the svimmer or 
breeding plumage the head, neck and breast are orang^e or 
gblden-buff in colour. The bird is then adorned by the 
addition of long phimes that grow from the back. These are 
cast or much reduced in length in the winter plumage* As 
the bird is only met with in Singapore as a migrant it is 
therefore most usually seen in the entirely white dress. A 
large percentage of the birds that visit us are young birds and 
these again are quite white as in the winter pkimage of the 
adult, although at close quarters a huff tinge may be noticed 
on the head. The wintering adults often display a tinge of the 
beautiful buff colour on the head and neck. In the spring 
before the egrets leave us, birds in the state of plumage like 
that figured in our plate may be seen. This is a very near 
approach to the full breeding dress. 
The irides, bare skin on the face and the bill are yellow : 
the feet are mostly black although the toes underneath 
("soles") are greenish-yellow* The wing is from 9 to lo 
inches long and the total length is about 20 inches. 
Distribution : — ^This is a common bird in India and Ceylon 
and is also found in Southern China and South-eastern Asia 
generally. It is common in the Malay Peninsula and occurs 
in the islands of Borneo, Sumatra, Java, etc., and thence east 
to the Philippines and Celebes, 
Status in Singapore :— The catt!e-egret is a well-known 
bird to most residents of Singapore and its dazzling white 
plumage and the confiding manner in which it stalks about the 
grass render it conspicuous wherever it is found. 
[88] 
