by almost all other recent authors until the publication of the influential Birds of South Asia. The eastern subspecies B. i. coromandus, described by Pieter Boddaert in 1783, breeds in South Asia, Eastern Asia, and Australasia, and the western nominate form occupies the rest of the species range, including Western Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Some authorities recognise a third Seychelles subspecies, B. i. seychellarum, which was first described by Finn Salomonsen in 1934. Despite superficial similarities in appearance, the cattle egret is more closely related to the genus Ardea, which comprises the great or typical herons and the great egret (A. alba), than to the majority of species termed egrets in the genus Egretta. Rare cases of hybridization with little blue herons (Egretta caerulea), little egrets (E. garzetta), and snowy egrets (E. thula) have been recorded. An older English name for the cattle egret is buff-backed heron. Description The cattle egret is a stocky heron with an wingspan; it is long and weighs . It has a relatively short, thick neck, a sturdy bill, and a hunched posture. The nonbreeding adult has mainly white plumage, a yellow bill, and greyish-yellow legs. During the breeding season, adults of the nominate western subspecies develop orange-buff plumes on the back, breast, and crown, and the bill, legs, and irises become bright red for a brief period prior to pairing. The sexes are similar, but the male is marginally larger and has slightly longer breeding plumes than the female; juvenile birds lack coloured plumes and have a black bill. B. i. coromandus differs from the nominate subspecies in breeding plumage, when the buff colour on its head extends to the cheeks and throat, and the plumes are more golden in colour. This subspecies' bill and tarsi are longer on average than in B. i. ibis. B. i. seychellarum is smaller and shorter-winged than the other forms. It has white cheeks and throat, like B. i. ibis, but the nuptial plumes are golden, as with B. i. coromandus. Individuals with abnormally grey, melanistic plumages have been recorded. The positioning of the egret's eyes allows for binocular vision during feeding, and physiological studies suggest that the species may be capable of crepuscular or nocturnal activity. Adapted to foraging on land, they have lost the ability possessed by their wetland relatives to accurately correct for light refraction by water. Distribution and habitat The cattle egret