Little Egret

Little Egret

Though often mistaken for a member of the Ibis family this very common wading bird is the Little Egret. You often see them following Elephants and Water buffalo. They are sometimes so close to the feet of these giant animals that you fear for their safety. It would be so easy for them to be stepped on and squashed. They will nest with other water birds in colonies high up in trees near the water. They male a platform nest with twigs. The female lays between three to five eggs that are kept warm by both adult birds taking turns sitting on the eggs. They young chicks hatch in twenty one to twenty five days. Both parents look after the young who fledge after forty days.