The white birds standing among cattle in these fields are cattle egrets, and unlike almost every other bird here they arrived on their own. The species is native to Africa, crossed the Atlantic to South America in the late 1800s under its own power, worked north through the Caribbean, reached Florida in the 1940s and the Texas coast in the 1950s. They follow livestock to eat the insects the animals stir up — the same job they do behind buffalo and elephants in Africa, transferred to cattle without any adjustment at all.
Getting there
29.8000, -95.7500
Locations are approximate and may be inaccurate, on private land, or otherwise inaccessible. Check before you travel.
Hear it from the road
Whistlestop tells you this story automatically when you drive past. No searching, no tapping, nothing to ask.
