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Fused Toes on Both Feet Documented in a Wild Eastern Cattle Egret in Karnataka

Eastern cattle egret in flight showing fused toes and bilateral foot deformities
Research · Anatomy & morphology

A wild adult Eastern cattle egret (Ardea coromanda) with deformities affecting both feet was photographed in flight at Huyilalu Lake near Mysore, Karnataka, India, on 7 February 2026. The observation lasted about two minutes. Photographs showed asymmetric feet with fused digits, while both feet hung loosely beneath the bird in flight.

The egret remained airborne throughout the observation. Walking, landing and foraging therefore could not be assessed, and the bird was not captured for physical examination. The researchers could not determine whether ulceration, necrosis, hyperkeratosis or other soft-tissue changes were present.

The authors note that foot deformities in wild birds can have several possible causes, including trauma, infection, developmental abnormalities and exposure to environmental contaminants. None of these causes could be established in this individual. Without radiography, microbiological testing, histopathology or toxicological analysis, the origin of the deformity remained unknown.

Reports of bilateral digit fusion in free-ranging Eastern cattle egrets appear to be scarce in the available literature. The case therefore documents a structural abnormality in a wild individual without attributing it to a cause that could not be tested.

Sources and image credit

  1. Abhilash, H. R., & Sylvester, C. (2026). Foot deformity in Eastern Cattle Egret (Ardea coromanda). Veterinary Science Reports, 2(1), 17–21. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20374243Primary peer-reviewed case report published online 31 May 2026. A wild adult Eastern Cattle Egret was observed for approximately two minutes in flight at Huyilalu Lake, Mysore, Karnataka, on 7 February 2026. Photographs showed asymmetric bilateral foot deformities with fused digits. The bird was not captured, so locomotor effects, lesion details and the cause could not be determined diagnostically.

Image: Figure 1 in Abhilash & Sylvester (2026), Veterinary Science Reports — the study individual photographed in flight at Huyilalu Lake, Mysore, Karnataka, India, 7 February 2026; cropped to 16:9 · CC BY 4.0 · Source

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Anatomy & morphology

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