Cattle Egret Carnage

[TwoFiftyBelowTen]

Q: How many Cattle Egrets does it take to stop a B747?

A: Dunno, but apparently more than 20. SYD .....10:30am 03/05/17

(VH-OJU could do with a bit of a swab at Honkers, thanks fellas)

[TwoFiftyBelowTen]

....Might have only made contact with a couple, and wake turbulence took out the rest?

[Capt Fathom]

This thread is pointless..... without photos!

[sunnySA]

Was very spectacular, kudos to the TWR controller who alerted the crew during the take-off roll

[Capt Fathom]

kudos to the TWR controller who alerted the crew during the take-off roll

Alerted them to what? They'd had a bird strike?

[tail wheel]

Someone care to elaborate?? Not into riddles....... :mad:

[OneDotLow]

The cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Bubulcus, although some authorities regard two of its subspecies as full species, the western cattle egret and the eastern cattle egret. Despite the similarities in plumage to the egrets of the genus Egretta, it is more closely related to the herons of Ardea. Originally native to parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, it has undergone a rapid expansion in its distribution and successfully colonised much of the rest of the world in the last century.

It is a white bird adorned with buff plumes in the breeding season. It nests in colonies, usually near bodies of water and often with other wading birds. The nest is a platform of sticks in trees or shrubs. Cattle egrets exploit drier and open habitats more than other heron species. Their feeding habitats include seasonally inundated grasslands, pastures, farmlands, wetlands and rice paddies. They often accompany cattle or other large mammals, catching insect and small vertebrate prey disturbed by these animals. Some populations of the cattle egret are migratory and others show post-breeding dispersal.

The adult cattle egret has few predators, but birds or mammals may raid its nests, and chicks may be lost to starvation, calcium deficiency or disturbance from other large birds. This species maintains a special relationship with cattle, which extends to other large grazing mammals; wider human farming is believed to be a major cause of their suddenly expanded range. The cattle egret removes ticks and flies from cattle and consumes them. This benefits both species, but it has been implicated in the spread of tick-borne animal diseases.

The flight continued without incident.:ok:

[KRviator]

A Cattle Egret is a type of bird, so I'm guessing it takes more than 20 of this particular type to stop a 747...

[Keg]

Lol @ OneDotLow. Brilliant.

[maggot]

Bin Chicken

[Capn Bloggs]

chicks may be lost to ...disturbance from other large birds
Including aluminium ones...

[jonkster]

A 747 hit a Heron? Herons are ugly birds. I never did like the bump over the cockpit on Herons. Maybe that is what attracted them to the 747?

[sunnySA]

Alerted them to what? They'd had a bird strike?
Very early in the take-off roll the TWR controller alerted them to the presence of the birds near the runway and that the flock was moving closer to the runway.

[ranmar850]

Bin Chicken

nah, you are mixing them up with Ibis. Sydney's new bird emblem.:}

[B772]

Were catering notified ?

[TwoFiftyBelowTen]

"The Cattle Egret has few natural predators...."

Which is why a B747 needs to take out 20 at a time. Wonderful thing, the balance of nature....