It has a relatively short yellow bill, pale yellow eyes and greenish-yellow legs. Life Span Life span in the wild is unknown. Reproduction Cattle egrets usually roost and nest in trees or mangroves, usually near rivers. Hundreds may nest in the same tree, and colonies may comprise up to 10,000 pairs. During the courtship season, which lasts about 20 days, their bill and legs turn a vivid red.
Males establish a territory, which they aggressively defend.
Four to six white eggs with a green or blue tinge are laid in a shallow, platform-like nest in trees or bushes made of reeds, branches and other material. Eggs are incubated for 21-24 days by both parents. Down-covered young have blackish legs and a black bill, which begins to turn yellow as summer draws to a close. Young leave the nest about three weeks after hatching and fledge in four to five weeks. When food is abundant, hundreds, and even thousands of cattle egrets may group together.