- Egretta caerulea
Identification
Height 60 cm
Ws. 102 cm
Weight 325 g
Sexes similar
Breeding Adult
- Blue-grey body
- Purplish head and neck
- Long blue plumes
- Dark blue legs and feet
Non-breeding Adult
- Dark blue head and neck
- Paler legs
Immature
- All white except for dark wing tips and have
- Yellowish legs
Gradually acquire blue plumage as they mature.
Distribution
Found along east coast north to Massachusetts, along the Mississippi north to Missouri, and to about 15o miles north of the Gulf Coast. Regularly found 300 miles north of breeding range. Rare vagrant north of that.
Occurs throughout the West Indies and in Mexico breeds on both coasts and south to Panama. In South America ranges south to central Peru in the west and Uruguay in the east.
Northern birds migrate south to winter in Florida, the West Indies and South America.
Taxonomy
Monotypic[1]
Habitat
Swamps, flooded grasslands and lagoons, also coastal habitats in some areas.
Behaviour
Breeding
It nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. 3-7 light blue eggs are laid.
Diet
Includes fish, crustaceans and insects.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Little Blue Heron. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Little_Blue_Heron
External Links
