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Can somebody please identify this bird for me?

I spotted this in July 2012 while birding in Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary.

unknown bird

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    $\begingroup$ A snowy egret that got "into" some fermented canteloupe, then slept it off. $\endgroup$
    – Bob Stein
    Aug 11, 2014 at 13:20

1 Answer 1

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This is a Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), which is a heron in its breeding plumage. When not breeding, the bird is white. See the images for comparision:

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Breeding cattle egret with colored feathers.

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Nonbreeding cattle egret, completely white.

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    $\begingroup$ Just an addition, this is the bird's breeding plumage. Non-breeding individuals are just white. $\endgroup$ Aug 11, 2014 at 9:00
  • $\begingroup$ Good point, I added it to the answer. $\endgroup$
    – Chris
    Aug 11, 2014 at 9:11

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