2023 split
Cattle Egret split: ours is Western Cattle-Egret
In 2023 eBird split Cattle Egret in two, and the AOS followed in 2024. The Cattle Egret of the Americas is now Western Cattle-Egret; Eastern Cattle-Egret lives in Asia and Australia.
Updated
What changed
The Cattle Egret of the Americas (including Hawaii, where it was brought in), Europe and Africa.
Southern and eastern Asia, Australia and New Zealand. In North America only a very rare stray to Alaska's Aleutian Islands.
Who decided, and when
- eBird and the Clements Checklist: its 2023 taxonomy update
- American Birding Association (ABA): renamed it Western Cattle Egret on the ABA Checklist (and added Eastern Cattle-Egret in November 2024)
- American Ornithological Society (AOS): the 65th Supplement to its Check-list, which also moved both to the genus Ardea
- AviList, the shared world checklist: agrees, writing the names without the hyphen
Which one did you see?
Go by where you saw it. In the Americas, Europe and Africa, it's Western Cattle-Egret.
The two differ mainly in shape and in their breeding colors. Their scientific names changed too, from Bubulcus to Ardea, the genus of Great Egret.
What it does to your list
For birders in the US and Canada it's a new name only: your Cattle Egret is now Western Cattle-Egret.
If you have also seen Cattle Egrets in Asia or Australia, the split adds one to your total.
Check your own list. Drop your eBird download or type your birds: the free checker shows which of them this and other recent changes touched.
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