The Wonders of God’s Creation
The past two issues have explored the ways of four varieties of birds called egrets, and now we have space left to look only briefly at a few more, although there are many others as well.
The reddish egret is one of the more recent immigrants to the United States and is still found in great numbers in various parts of Central America. Medium sized, it makes its home in brackish (somewhat salty) lakes and salt marshes along the Gulf Coast.
In contrast to those already considered — as its name implies it has reddish and orange-red feathers from its head down beyond its chest and is crowned with spindly feathers over the top of its head. Its main body feathers are grayish-black mottled with white.
The gray egret is another three-foot long bird that is an exception to the pure whites. It is bluish-gray on its upper plumage and wears a crest of the same color over its head. But forehead, neck, edges of wings and thighs are white with pretty white plumes hanging from its neck, contrasting with the blue-black sides of its breast and flanks.
We have saved the cattle egrets for last because their feeding habits and manner of life are different from all the rest, although their appearance is much the same.
In their native land of Africa they are almost sure to be found where there are water buffalo and other browsing wild animals. They follow these animals in great numbers, close on their heels as they move about, snatching insects uncovered by the animals’ hooves. They often ride on the backs of these big beasts, too. Egrets have no other choice when accompanying hippos which move through plant-covered ponds where they disturb insects that fly into the air. These insects quickly become part of the bird’s food. None of these animals seem to mind having the birds riding on their backs.
Those which have migrated to America do just as well as their African relatives. They have joined herds of cattle, particularly where they are spread over areas of grazing land. They, too, ride on the backs of the animals as well as spreading out like a living, white blanket over pasture land. Some have even become more modern and now follow tractors and other equipment when they are turning over the soil. You can see by this that cattle egrets are not interested in frogs, lizards and fish like other egrets, for their diet is almost entirely limited to insects.
The Psalmist declared, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” Psalms 95:6,76O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. 7For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, (Psalm 95:6‑7). David knew what it was to be truly one of the Lord’s people and to have Him as his Good Shepherd. Have you made Him your Good Shepherd and Saviour, too?
ML-10/01/1989