Biological Role of Cattle Egrets in Parasitic Transmission

Abstract

This review aimed to evaluate the role of cattle egrets as a bioindicator for the accumulation of different pollutants in different habitats. The cattle egret is a cosmopolitan bird inhabits different habitats such as meadows, freshwater swamps, livestock pastures and open grassland subjects. Egrets feed on a wide range of prey from various habitats in their ecosystem like insects as beetles, flies and dragonflies, spiders, frogs, crustaceans, tadpoles, mollusks, fish, lizards, small birds, rodents and earthworms. Such diversity in feeding habits can lead to transmission of different types of parasites like (trematodes and nematodes). Accordingly, due to human activities on the earth, the concentration of metals in the ecosystem reaches to be hazardous to human health. Thus, the need for pollution bioindicators is essential. Research has demonstrated that egrets are useful markers for determining the levels of heavy metal pollution in their environments. Also, parasites infecting cattle egrets are sensitive to the levels of metals like (Cu, Pb and Cd) in the tissue of the host which elevates their vital role in monitoring the amounts of heavy metals in their host which reflect their amount in the environment of their hosts.