Denton, Gene

Hanebrink, Earl L.

English

ScholarWorks@UARK

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of ScienceVolume 23 Article 131969Feeding Behavior and Analysis of RegurgitatedFood Collected from the Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibisand the Little Blue Heron Florida caeruleaEarl L. HanebrinkArkansas State UniversityGene DentonArkansas State UniversityFollow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaasPart of the Ornithology CommonsThis article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able toread, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking priorpermission from the publisher or the author.This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academyof Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu, ccmiddle@uark.edu.Recommended CitationHanebrink, Earl L. and Denton, Gene (1969) "Feeding Behavior and Analysis of Regurgitated Food Collected from the Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis and the Little Blue Heron Florida caerulea," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 23 , Article 13.Available at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol23/iss1/1374Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. 23, 1969FEEDING BEHAVIOR AND ANALYSIS OFREGURGITATED FOOD COLLECTED FROM THECATTLE EGRET BUBULCUS IBIS AND THE LITTLEBLUE HERON FLORIDA CAERULEAEarl L. Hanebrink and Gene DentonArkansas State UniversityINTRODUCTIONA study was made of regurgitated food items collected fromyoung nestlings of the Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) and Little BlueHeron (Florida caerulea) . The largest nesting colony of these twospecies in the state occurs at the Luxora Heronry in MississippiCounty. This heronry is located three miles northwest of the Missi-ssippi River and seven miles northwest of Luxora on ArkansasHighway No. 120. During the past four years (1965-68) the seniorauthor has studied the nesting and species composition at thisheronry. The Luxora Heronry was first introduced into the literatureby Hanebrink and Cochran (1966), when the first nesting recordfor the Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) was reported. A descrip-tion of this heronry including nesting sequence and species composi-tion was reported by Hanebrink (1968). Cattle Egrets were firstreported nesting in the Luxora Heronry in1965 when five pairs werefound nesting there by Ben Coffey, Jr. (Stewart, 1965). Meanley(1955) previously published on a nesting study of the Little BlueHeron at Swan Lake in eastern Arkansas.During the 1968 breeding season approximately 100 pairsof Cattle Egrets nested in this heronry. Also five pairs of SnowyEgrets (Leucophoyx thula) nested there for the first time in 1968.The Glossy Ibis has not nested at this site since the 1966 breedingseason, but stray individuals were observed several times eachjreeding season. The most abundant nesting species in this heronrys the Little Blue Heron. The total number of nesting birds of allspecies is over 3000 for this eight acres of lowland deciduous woods.The number of individual nests of all species is approximately 200per acre.The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine food itemsof the Cattle Egret and Little Blue Heron at this heronry, (2) studyfeeding behavior of the two species, (3) make a comparison of thebod items of these two species, and (4) study the feeding areas foreach species.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis study was supported by a research grant from Arkansas 74Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 23 [1969], Art. 13Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196975Feeding Behavior of the Cattle Egret and the Little Blue HeronState University. John Stoll helped with some of the field workand Dr. Bob D. Johnson of the biology faculty at Arkansas StateUniversity critically read the manuscript. The writers greatly appre-ciate their help.METHODS AND MATERIALSRegurgitated pellets of identifiable food from nestlings andolder but still flightless young of both species were collected at thehernonry. Young herons and egrets regurgitated their last mealwhen they became disturbed. The amount of disturbance necessaryto cause regurgitation varied according to to species and age level.Regurgitation and defecation of the young flightless herons andegrets which cannot escape are described by Dusi (1966) as dis-placement behavior characteristic of many herons and egrets.The regurgitated pellets were collected throughout the summerand were immediately preserved in a 70 per cent isopropyl alcoholsolution. From one to several days later the pellets were washedand food items were sorted, counted, and identified.Observations were made at the various feeding areas to deter-mine feeding behavior of the birds. Bushnell 7 x 35 custom binocularswere used when necessary. Cattle Egrets could often be studiedfrom very short distances.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONFood for the young Little Blue Herons was obtained fromnearby drainage ditches and from "barrow pits" and "sloughs" alongthe Mississippi River levee. Feeding also occurred in nearby floodedrice fields. When young Little Blue Herons were able to fly, theyfrequently were observed at ditches at the borders of fields. Youngwere also found feeding along the "sloughs" and "barrow pits" ofthe river levee.Cattle Egrets fed in open fields when they first arrived in lateMarch and early April. Many were found in the newly plowed ordisked fields. Later, during the nesting season (May-August), theCattle Egrets associated themselves with horses and cattle, whichwere numerous on the levee.The Little Blue Heron was observed feeding as far away as21 miles from the heronry during the nesting season. During earlyfall (September-October), they scatter and feed at much greaterdistances (Coffey, 1943; Hanebrink and Rhodes, 1968). Observationsof birds of both species coming to the heronry at sundown andleaving near sunup indicated that they fed in all directions fromthe heronry.75Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 23 [1969], Art. 13http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol23/iss1/1376Arkansas Academy of Science ProceedingsAt the Luxora Heronry feeding areas, the well known symbioticassociation of the Cattle Egret with cattle was observed constantlyduring the months of May through August. Although the egretssometimes fed on their own, catching insects in the pasture andother prey along shallow mudholes and sloughs, they were seldomseen feeding over 100 yards from cattle or horses. One notable excep-tion was observed in early June when eight Cattle Egrets werefound following two tractors plowing a wheat field. They fed from15 feet to 100 yards behind the tractors, searching the freshly turnedsoil for earthworms and insects much in the same manner as speciesof blackbirds.When feeding with cattle, the egrets were usually quite active.They constantly made short runs, changed positions and flew shortdistances from animal to animal in their search for food. CattleEgrets were most often found at the sides or near the heads of thecattle. The individual egrets carefully watched for insects disturbedby the cattle. These birds often examined the legs, flanks and headof the cattle for flies. In addition, these birds often alighted on thebacks of the cattle. This was more for a perch rather than to feedon flies or ectoparasites. On more than one occasion a bird used acow to ride across a water-filled area of the pasture.In the heat of the day the cattle moved into the shade or intonearby water-filled sloughs along the Mississippi River levee. Theegrets would not, however, follow a cow into water more than a fewinches in depth. They notably preferred animals which were graz-ing or moving about and quickly abandoned an inactive or recliningcow to hurridly run or fly to a feeding animal. Cattle Egrets alsoexamined weeds and grass very carefully for insects. Although thesebirds usually caught their prey when it became disturbed andmoved, they sometimes caught prey by slowly stalking it or by re-maining very still, then suddenly catching it with a quick jab.Sometimes the egrets were almost stepped on by the cattleas they searched for food, but only when a fly was picked from thefiead or face did the cattle seem bothered. Even then, the reactionwas usually only a shaking of the head.The Little Blue Heron has long been known in the UnitedStates and return to breeding areas each spring from winteringareas in Mexico, Central and South America and from the southernportions of the Gulf Coastal States (Coffey, 1948; Dusi, 1967).The adult Little Blue Herons associated with the Luxora Heronrywere observed to stand, wait, and wade or walk slowly while feeding.They feed mostly in water a few inches deep near the edges of the'sloughs" and "barrow pits" between the Mississippi River leveeand the Mississippi River. Some were observed feeding in nearbylooded rice fields. Both young and adult birds were observed feeding76Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 23 [1969], Art. 13Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196977Feeding Behavior of the Cattle Egret and the LittleBlue Heronwhile standing on floating vegetation and partly submerged logsand stumps.There was no association between cattle and Little Blue Herons,even though they frequented the same sloughs and pastures. LittleBlue Herons occasionally fed on grasshoppers or other insects butrarely moved far from the edge of the water.A comparison, made of food items of the Little Blue Heronand Cattle Egrets associated with the Luxora Heronry, is presentedin Table 1. Food items listed include parts of entire organisms col-lected from the young in the heronry. The most common food for theCattle Egret was grasshoppers. Small frogs were the most numerousvertebrates in their diet. A comparison of food items of these twospecies revealed that, with the exeption of crayfish, vertebrates madeup the bulk of the food of the Little Blue Heron, while invertebratesmostly comprised the diet of the Cattle Egret. Therefore, there islittle competition between these two species for food in this area.Since 1965, the number of nesting Little Blue Herons has re-mained relatively constant. During the 1968 breeding season thesetwo species far outnumbered the other species of herons and egretsat this heronry. There is little competition with the Common Egret(Casmerodius albus) , as this species wades in deeper water to collectlarger species of fish. The Common Egret is the third most commonnesting bird in this heronry. There is very little interspecific activitybetween the Cattle Egret and the Little Blue Heron even thoughthey frequently nest in the same tree.TABLE IREGURGITATED FOOD ITEMS COLLECTED FROM THELITTLE BLUE HERON AND CATTLE EGRET FROM THELUXORA HERONRY (11 MAY-26 JULY, 1968)Food Items Little Blue Heron Cattle EgretInvertebratesOligochaetes (Earthworms) 0 27Arachnida (Spiders) 3 80Crayfish (Cambarus spp.) 410 0Fairy Shrimp 1 0Chilopoda (Centipedes) 0 4Odonata (Dragon Fly Nymphs) 3 0Grasshoppers 45 2,888Crickets 1 33Carabidae (Ground Beetles) 1 311Dytiscidae (Diving Beetles) 1 0Elateridae (Click Beetles) 2 3Pentatomidae (Stink Bugs) 1 1 77Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 23 [1969], Art. 13http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol23/iss1/1378Arkansas Academy of Science ProceedingsNoctuidae larva 1 2Cercopidae (Froghoppers) 0 1Tipulidae (Crane Flies) 0 1Tabanidae (Horse and Deer Flies) 1 88Calliphoridae (Blowflies) 0 25Diptera larvae 6 1VertebratesAmiidae (Bowfin) 1 0Lepisosteidae (Gars) 3 0Cyprinidae (Minnows, Carp) 94 0Poeciliidae (Gambusia affinis) 1 0Aphredoderidae (Pirateperch) 1 0Sciaenidae (Drum) 16 0Centrarchidae (Sunfish and Bass) 72 0Ranidae (Frogs) 60 22Tadpoles 25 0Bufonidae (Toads) 1 2Scincidae (Eurneces) 0 1SUMMARYA study was made of the feeding areas, feeding behavior, andregurgitated food items collected from the young nestlings of CattleEgrets and Little Blue Herons in the Luxora Heronry located inMississippi County, Arkansas.A comparison was made of food items of these two species.Food items are summarized and include parts or entire organismscollected from nestlings.The most common food item for Cattle Egrets was grasshoppers.Invertebrates rather than vertebrates were the more common foodfor th Cattle Egret. Small frogs were the most common vertebratesfound in the regurgitated pellets of the Cattle Egerts.bThe LittleBlue Heron's diet consisted mainly of vertebratesch as tadpoles, frogs, and fish. The most common invertebrate foodins for this species was crayfish.b There is very little competition for food among the variousies at this heronry. Each species occupies its own niche andnot interfere with its allied species in feeding territories.LITERATURE CITEDCoffey, Ben B. Jr. 1943. Post-juvenile migration of herons. BirdBanding, 14: 34-39.1948. Southward migration of herons. BirdBanding, 19: 1-5.78Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 23 [1969], Art. 13Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196979Feeding Behavior of the Cattle Egret and the Little Blue HeronDusi, Julian L. 1966. The identification characters of nests, eggsand nestlings of some herons, ibises and anhingas. AlabamaBirdlife, 14: 2-8.Hanebrink, Earl L. and Richard Cochran. 1966. An inland nestingrecord for the Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellu&i in Arkansas.Auk, 83: 474.1968. A comparison of three heronries in theMississippi Valley. The Migrant, 39: 49-52.and Allen Rhodes. 1968. A study of fall migra-tory bird populations in sewage ponds. The Migrant (In press).Meanley, Brooke. 1955. A. nesting study of the Little Blue Heronin Eastern Arkansas. Wilson Bulletin, 66: 81-99.Stewart, James R. 1965. Central Southern Region. Audubon FieldNotes, 19: 522-554.79Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 23 [1969], Art. 13http://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol23/iss1/13

Feeding Behavior and Analysis of Regurgitated Food Collected from the Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis and the Little Blue Heron Florida caerulea

UARK (University of Arkansas )

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science Volume 23 Article 13 1969 Feeding Behavior and Analysis of Regurgitated Food Collected from the Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis and the Little Blue Heron Florida caerulea Earl L. Hanebrink Arkansas State University Gene Denton Arkansas State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas  Part of the Ornithology Commons Recommended Citation Hanebrink, Earl L. and Denton, Gene (1969) "Feeding Behavior and Analysis of Regurgitated Food Collected from the Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis and the Little Blue Heron Florida caerulea," Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 23 , Article 13. Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol23/iss1/13 This article is available for use under the Creative Commons license: Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). Users are able to read, download, copy, print, distribute, search, link to the full texts of these articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact scholar@uark.edu. 74Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings, Vol. 23, 1969FEEDING BEHAVIOR AND ANALYSIS OFREGURGITATED FOOD COLLECTED FROM THECATTLE EGRET BUBULCUS IBIS AND THE LITTLEBLUE HERON FLORIDA CAERULEAEarl L. Hanebrink and Gene DentonArkansas State UniversityINTRODUCTIONA study was made of regurgitated food items collected fromyoung nestlings of the Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) and Little BlueHeron (Florida caerulea) . The largest nesting colony of these twospecies in the state occurs at the Luxora Heronry in MississippiCounty. This heronry is located three miles northwest of the Missi-ssippi River and seven miles northwest of Luxora on ArkansasHighway No. 120. During the past four years (1965-68) the seniorauthor has studied the nesting and species composition at thisheronry. The Luxora Heronry was first introduced into the literatureby Hanebrink and Cochran (1966), when the first nesting recordfor the Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) was reported. A descrip-tion of this heronry including nesting sequence and species composi-tion was reported by Hanebrink (1968). Cattle Egrets were firstreported nesting in the Luxora Heronry in1965 when five pairs werefound nesting there by Ben Coffey, Jr. (Stewart, 1965). Meanley(1955) previously published on a nesting study of the Little BlueHeron at Swan Lake in eastern Arkansas.During the 1968 breeding season approximately 100 pairsof Cattle Egrets nested in this heronry. Also five pairs of SnowyEgrets (Leucophoyx thula) nested there for the first time in 1968.The Glossy Ibis has not nested at this site since the 1966 breedingseason, but stray individuals were observed several times eachjreeding season. The most abundant nesting species in this heronrys the Little Blue Heron. The total number of nesting birds of allspecies is over 3000 for this eight acres of lowland deciduous woods.The number of individual nests of all species is approximately 200per acre.The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine food itemsof the Cattle Egret and Little Blue Heron at this heronry, (2) studyfeeding behavior of the two species, (3) make a comparison of thebod items of these two species, and (4) study the feeding areas foreach species.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis study was supported by a research grant from Arkansas 74Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 23 [1969], Art. 13Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196975Feeding Behavior of the Cattle Egret and the Little Blue HeronState University. John Stoll helped with some of the field workand Dr. Bob D. Johnson of the biology faculty at Arkansas StateUniversity critically read the manuscript. The writers greatly appre-ciate their help.METHODS AND MATERIALSRegurgitated pellets of identifiable food from nestlings andolder but still flightless young of both species were collected at thehernonry. Young herons and egrets regurgitated their last mealwhen they became disturbed. The amount of disturbance necessaryto cause regurgitation varied according to to species and age level.Regurgitation and defecation of the young flightless herons andegrets which cannot escape are described by Dusi (1966) as dis-placement behavior characteristic of many herons and egrets.The regurgitated pellets were collected throughout the summerand were immediately preserved in a 70 per cent isopropyl alcoholsolution. From one to several days later the pellets were washedand food items were sorted, counted, and identified.Observations were made at the various feeding areas to deter-mine feeding behavior of the birds. Bushnell 7 x 35 custom binocularswere used when necessary. Cattle Egrets could often be studiedfrom very short distances.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONFood for the young Little Blue Herons was obtained fromnearby drainage ditches and from "barrow pits" and "sloughs" alongthe Mississippi River levee. Feeding also occurred in nearby floodedrice fields. When young Little Blue Herons were able to fly, theyfrequently were observed at ditches at the borders of fields. Youngwere also found feeding along the "sloughs" and "barrow pits" ofthe river levee.Cattle Egrets fed in open fields when they first arrived in lateMarch and early April. Many were found in the newly plowed ordisked fields. Later, during the nesting season (May-August), theCattle Egrets associated themselves with horses and cattle, whichwere numerous on the levee.The Little Blue Heron was observed feeding as far away as21 miles from the heronry during the nesting season. During earlyfall (September-October), they scatter and feed at much greaterdistances (Coffey, 1943; Hanebrink and Rhodes, 1968). Observationsof birds of both species coming to the heronry at sundown andleaving near sunup indicated that they fed in all directions fromthe heronry.75Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 23 [1969], Art. 13https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol23/iss1/1376Arkansas Academy of Science ProceedingsAt the Luxora Heronry feeding areas, the well known symbioticassociation of the Cattle Egret with cattle was observed constantlyduring the months of May through August. Although the egretssometimes fed on their own, catching insects in the pasture andother prey along shallow mudholes and sloughs, they were seldomseen feeding over 100 yards from cattle or horses. One notable excep-tion was observed in early June when eight Cattle Egrets werefound following two tractors plowing a wheat field. They fed from15 feet to 100 yards behind the tractors, searching the freshly turnedsoil for earthworms and insects much in the same manner as speciesof blackbirds.When feeding with cattle, the egrets were usually quite active.They constantly made short runs, changed positions and flew shortdistances from animal to animal in their search for food. CattleEgrets were most often found at the sides or near the heads of thecattle. The individual egrets carefully watched for insects disturbedby the cattle. These birds often examined the legs, flanks and headof the cattle for flies. In addition, these birds often alighted on thebacks of the cattle. This was more for a perch rather than to feedon flies or ectoparasites. On more than one occasion a bird used acow to ride across a water-filled area of the pasture.In the heat of the day the cattle moved into the shade or intonearby water-filled sloughs along the Mississippi River levee. Theegrets would not, however, follow a cow into water more than a fewinches in depth. They notably preferred animals which were graz-ing or moving about and quickly abandoned an inactive or recliningcow to hurridly run or fly to a feeding animal. Cattle Egrets alsoexamined weeds and grass very carefully for insects. Although thesebirds usually caught their prey when it became disturbed andmoved, they sometimes caught prey by slowly stalking it or by re-maining very still, then suddenly catching it with a quick jab.Sometimes the egrets were almost stepped on by the cattleas they searched for food, but only when a fly was picked from thefiead or face did the cattle seem bothered. Even then, the reactionwas usually only a shaking of the head.The Little Blue Heron has long been known in the UnitedStates and return to breeding areas each spring from winteringareas in Mexico, Central and South America and from the southernportions of the Gulf Coastal States (Coffey, 1948; Dusi, 1967).The adult Little Blue Herons associated with the Luxora Heronrywere observed to stand, wait, and wade or walk slowly while feeding.They feed mostly in water a few inches deep near the edges of the'sloughs" and "barrow pits" between the Mississippi River leveeand the Mississippi River. Some were observed feeding in nearbylooded rice fields. Both young and adult birds were observed feeding76Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 23 [1969], Art. 13Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196977Feeding Behavior of the Cattle Egret and the LittleBlue Heronwhile standing on floating vegetation and partly submerged logsand stumps.There was no association between cattle and Little Blue Herons,even though they frequented the same sloughs and pastures. LittleBlue Herons occasionally fed on grasshoppers or other insects butrarely moved far from the edge of the water.A comparison, made of food items of the Little Blue Heronand Cattle Egrets associated with the Luxora Heronry, is presentedin Table 1. Food items listed include parts of entire organisms col-lected from the young in the heronry. The most common food for theCattle Egret was grasshoppers. Small frogs were the most numerousvertebrates in their diet. A comparison of food items of these twospecies revealed that, with the exeption of crayfish, vertebrates madeup the bulk of the food of the Little Blue Heron, while invertebratesmostly comprised the diet of the Cattle Egret. Therefore, there islittle competition between these two species for food in this area.Since 1965, the number of nesting Little Blue Herons has re-mained relatively constant. During the 1968 breeding season thesetwo species far outnumbered the other species of herons and egretsat this heronry. There is little competition with the Common Egret(Casmerodius albus) , as this species wades in deeper water to collectlarger species of fish. The Common Egret is the third most commonnesting bird in this heronry. There is very little interspecific activitybetween the Cattle Egret and the Little Blue Heron even thoughthey frequently nest in the same tree.TABLE IREGURGITATED FOOD ITEMS COLLECTED FROM THELITTLE BLUE HERON AND CATTLE EGRET FROM THELUXORA HERONRY (11 MAY-26 JULY, 1968)Food Items Little Blue Heron Cattle EgretInvertebratesOligochaetes (Earthworms) 0 27Arachnida (Spiders) 3 80Crayfish (Cambarus spp.) 410 0Fairy Shrimp 1 0Chilopoda (Centipedes) 0 4Odonata (Dragon Fly Nymphs) 3 0Grasshoppers 45 2,888Crickets 1 33Carabidae (Ground Beetles) 1 311Dytiscidae (Diving Beetles) 1 0Elateridae (Click Beetles) 2 3Pentatomidae (Stink Bugs) 1 1 77Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 23 [1969], Art. 13https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol23/iss1/1378Arkansas Academy of Science ProceedingsNoctuidae larva 1 2Cercopidae (Froghoppers) 0 1Tipulidae (Crane Flies) 0 1Tabanidae (Horse and Deer Flies) 1 88Calliphoridae (Blowflies) 0 25Diptera larvae 6 1VertebratesAmiidae (Bowfin) 1 0Lepisosteidae (Gars) 3 0Cyprinidae (Minnows, Carp) 94 0Poeciliidae (Gambusia affinis) 1 0Aphredoderidae (Pirateperch) 1 0Sciaenidae (Drum) 16 0Centrarchidae (Sunfish and Bass) 72 0Ranidae (Frogs) 60 22Tadpoles 25 0Bufonidae (Toads) 1 2Scincidae (Eurneces) 0 1SUMMARYA study was made of the feeding areas, feeding behavior, andregurgitated food items collected from the young nestlings of CattleEgrets and Little Blue Herons in the Luxora Heronry located inMississippi County, Arkansas.A comparison was made of food items of these two species.Food items are summarized and include parts or entire organismscollected from nestlings.The most common food item for Cattle Egrets was grasshoppers.Invertebrates rather than vertebrates were the more common foodfor th Cattle Egret. Small frogs were the most common vertebratesfound in the regurgitated pellets of the Cattle Egerts.bThe LittleBlue Heron's diet consisted mainly of vertebratesch as tadpoles, frogs, and fish. The most common invertebrate foodins for this species was crayfish.b There is very little competition for food among the variousies at this heronry. Each species occupies its own niche andnot interfere with its allied species in feeding territories.LITERATURE CITEDCoffey, Ben B. Jr. 1943. Post-juvenile migration of herons. BirdBanding, 14: 34-39.1948. Southward migration of herons. BirdBanding, 19: 1-5.78Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 23 [1969], Art. 13Published by Arkansas Academy of Science, 196979Feeding Behavior of the Cattle Egret and the Little Blue HeronDusi, Julian L. 1966. The identification characters of nests, eggsand nestlings of some herons, ibises and anhingas. AlabamaBirdlife, 14: 2-8.Hanebrink, Earl L. and Richard Cochran. 1966. An inland nestingrecord for the Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellu&i in Arkansas.Auk, 83: 474.1968. A comparison of three heronries in theMississippi Valley. The Migrant, 39: 49-52.and Allen Rhodes. 1968. A study of fall migra-tory bird populations in sewage ponds. The Migrant (In press).Meanley, Brooke. 1955. A. nesting study of the Little Blue Heronin Eastern Arkansas. Wilson Bulletin, 66: 81-99.Stewart, James R. 1965. Central Southern Region. Audubon FieldNotes, 19: 522-554.79Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science, Vol. 23 [1969], Art. 13https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol23/iss1/13

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Feeding Behavior and Analysis of Regurgitated Food Collected from the Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis and the Little Blue Heron Florida caerulea

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