WunderPhotos®

These are catlle egret. The one with the orange crown is the adult. Here is some info on cattle egrets. Cattle egrets nest in woodlands and swamps and on inland and coastal islands. There is no correlation between distribution or density of grazing cattle and the breeding range of cattle egrets. In inland heronries, they associate primarily with the little blue heron (Egretta caerulea) and snowy egret (E. thula). In coastal heronries, they primarily associate with the snowy egret and tricolored heron (E. tricolor). They are generally beneficial because of their insect-eating habits. However, in nesting colonies, the deposition of cattle egret guano changes soil chemistry. Some plant species, such as hackberry, cedar elm, and chinaberry, can survive the changes, but others, such as oak, pecan, and winged elm, are killed. Cattle egrets nest about three weeks later than native herons and egrets; their breeding season is seven to nine weeks longer, and they are less selective of nest sites. Their nests consist of twigs and are bowl-shaped. The average clutch size is 3.4; egg-laying intervals are about two days, and the incubation period is about twenty-four days. Cattle egrets lose about 14 percent of their eggs, but hatching failure of remaining eggs is low (7 percent). Chick mortality is about 4 percent. Thus, 2.5 young are fledged per brood. Information from - http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/tbc01