Does Oklahoma Have Pelicans?

If you drive... really anywhere in Oklahoma, it's hard to miss the insane amounts of cattle herds along the roads. Usually with them, especially during the summer, you'll see some odd looking little birds hanging out.

Sometimes you'll spot a few of them catching a ride on a cow's back, maybe relaxing on a steer's shadow.

If you're looking from the road, their long, orange beaks and long white bodies can seem a little too much like the same birds picking up fish in the ocean. But once you get a closer look, you'll realize they're far from it.

So What ARE These Freeloaders?

It's not pelicans you're seeing, but Western Cattle Egrets. They're usually found in grasslands, riding alongside other prairie grazers, picking off ticks from their larger partners. In Oklahoma, they have a symbiotic relationship with cattle and horses, cleaning them off for a free, easy meal.

But they don't just follow animals around, either. They have a tendency of going where the big things are, including farming equipment and machines. When things sit for just long enough, bugs come making a new home and egrets come to clean it up.

Not all egrets look like pelicans, but they all have the same features:

• Shorter, thick white bodies; during breeding season, you'll spot yellow plumes on top of their head and neck
• Longer, narrower orange beaks
• Orange or light colored legs

Don't worry, these guys don't do anything but help the world around them. Just another beautiful thing about the sooner state.

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