Egrets make debut at Tropical Animal House

FOUR new arrivals are striking a pose at a Rotherham bird centre.

North Anston’s Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife and Falconry Centre has welcomed the four little egrets to their ever-expanding menagerie.

The foursome, named Eugene, Jules, Mia and Vincent, hatched in June 2011 but are nearly at their fully grown height of only around 60cm and are settling in well after around one week in their new home.

Ben Coulson, qnimal presenter at the Tropical Butterfly House, said about the new arrivals: “We hope it will be possible in the future for these striking birds to roam freely around the centre amongst the chickens, guinea-fowl and peacocks, but for now, visitors may see them in their enclosure near to the Farm Barn.”

Little Egrets are small white herons with attractive plumes on top of their heads.

Like the heron, they feed on fish from shallow water but also eat amphibians, large insects and sometimes small mammals.

They inhabit lakes, marshes and estuaries throughout Europe, Asia, Australasia and Africa, and up to 1600 birds spend Winter in the UK.

DEARNE VALLEY

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