They are a common sight in the tropics, where they perch on the backs of cattle and remove ticks and flies.
But cattle egrets are becoming increasingly common in Britain too as a result of climate change and protection of their habitat in the warmer countries from which they migrate.
The graceful white herons first bred in Britain in 2008 but did not do so again for nine years. They have now bred for the past three years and the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has said the species has become a permanent resident. There were a record 19 pairs of cattle egrets in 2019 and nine were confirmed to have bred, producing at least 24 fledglings, according to a new report by the Rare Breeding Birds Panel, to which the BTO and RSPB contributed.
Record numbers of common crane and great white egret also bred in 2019, with 48 and 24 pairs respectively. The BTO said their growth was probably due to better conservation in Europe, including stronger rules against hunting the birds. The protection of wetland sites in the UK was also helping to ensure that they prospered.
The number of white-tailed eagles continued to grow after reintroduction in Scotland, with 123 pairs known in 2019.
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About 25 have been released on the Isle of Wight since 2019.
Eurasian bittern numbers rose in 2019 as did roseate terns, although their range is very restricted. But 2019 brought only one report for fieldfare, two of golden oriole, and none for wryneck.
There was only one confirmed breeding pair of Montagu’s harrier. Little tern, capercaillie, Slavonian grebe and redwing all had poor years.
Separately two rare thrush species have been spotted in the past week: a varied thrush on Papa Westray in Orkney and an eyebrowed thrush, a native of Siberia and Mongolia, was photographed in the Cairngorms.
