Western Cattle-Egret
Western Cattle-Egret has held roughly steady: up 2% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Western Cattle-Egret
The Western Cattle-Egret (Ardea ibis) is a North American member of the Herons, Egrets & Bitterns (Ardeidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 12–51 in long (30–130 cm) — a long-legged wader (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 992 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 39 states, most concentrated in the Southeastern Coastal Plain.
- Family
- Ardeidae · Wetland birds
Notable Western Cattle-Egret Trends
No notable trend signals for Western Cattle-Egret. See the full index history below.
Western Cattle-Egret Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Western Cattle-Egret is projected to rise about 41% by 2029 — from 2.8 in 2024 to a central estimate of 3.9 (95% range 1.1–6.7). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±71%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 6.8 |
| 2026 | 3.9 | 1.1 | 6.8 |
| 2027 | 3.9 | 1.1 | 6.8 |
| 2028 | 3.9 | 1.1 | 6.8 |
| 2029 | 3.9 | 1.1 | 6.7 |
Where the Western Cattle-Egret Is Detected
BBS routes recording Western Cattle-Egret, sized by most recent count.
Western Cattle-Egret Population Trend by State
| Alabama | +192% | 1968 | 77 |
| Arizona | -92% | 1985 | 9 |
| Arkansas | +83% | 1974 | 39 |
| California | +116% | 1974 | 23 |
| Colorado | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Delaware | -46% | 1968 | 12 |
| Florida | -53% | 1968 | 123 |
| Georgia | +10% | 1968 | 72 |
| Idaho | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Illinois | -94% | 1974 | 16 |
| Indiana | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Iowa | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Kansas | +688% | 1982 | 26 |
| Kentucky | +429% | 1988 | 8 |
| Louisiana | +69% | 1969 | 99 |
| Maine | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Maryland | -83% | 1968 | 32 |
| Minnesota | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Mississippi | +320% | 1969 | 55 |
| Missouri | -53% | 1974 | 14 |
| Nebraska | +203% | 1993 | 12 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New Jersey | -5% | 1973 | 4 |
| New Mexico | -81% | 1994 | 5 |
| New York | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| North Carolina | -36% | 1968 | 36 |
| North Dakota | +734% | 1996 | 8 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Oklahoma | 31× | 1972 | 56 |
| Pennsylvania | +59% | 1970 | 9 |
| South Carolina | -55% | 1968 | 28 |
| South Dakota | +69% | 1999 | 11 |
| Tennessee | -87% | 1974 | 15 |
| Texas | +10% | 1969 | 167 |
| Utah | -82% | 1987 | 7 |
| Vermont | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Virginia | -90% | 1969 | 9 |
| Wisconsin | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Wyoming | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
Western Cattle-Egret Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Great Basin | -57% | 1984 | 9 |
| Prairie Potholes | +154% | 1994 | 18 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | -15% | 1997 | 15 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | 33× | 1976 | 57 |
| Edwards Plateau | +27% | 1992 | 9 |
| Oaks and Prairies | +835% | 1970 | 71 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -33% | 1978 | 40 |
| Central Hardwoods | +589% | 1974 | 33 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | +422% | 1969 | 100 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | 19× | 1969 | 61 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | +26% | 1968 | 283 |
| Appalachian Mountains | -11% | 1992 | 14 |
| Piedmont | +7% | 1969 | 30 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | -89% | 1968 | 51 |
| Peninsular Florida | -65% | 1968 | 79 |
| Coastal California | +256% | 1984 | 15 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | -79% | 1974 | 13 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | -93% | 1994 | 9 |
| Tamaulipan Brushlands | -27% | 1971 | 21 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | -39% | 1969 | 48 |
Western Cattle-Egret Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 2% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.