Tricolored Heron

Overview

The tricolored heron, formerly known as the Louisiana heron, is a small species of heron native to the coastal parts of the Americas. This species is notably more solitary than other herons in the region and is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Length ranges from 56 to 76 cm with a typical wingspan of 96 cm; males average 415 g, while females average 334 g.
• Features a long, pointed, yellowish or greyish bill with a black tip, which may become bicolored blue and black in breeding individuals.
• Legs and feet change from dark yellow in nonbreeding birds to pink in breeding adults.
• Adults display blue-grey heads, necks, backs, and upper wings with a white line along the neck and a white belly; breeding plumage includes blue filamentous plumes on the head and neck, and buff plumes on the back.

Habitat

This heron breeds in swamps and other coastal habitats, typically nesting in colonies on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. Its range extends along the northeastern United States, south through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean to northern South America, and in the Pacific from Peru to California.

Diet

The tricolored heron is almost exclusively piscivorous, with diets in Florida consisting of 99.7% fish and prawns. It forages more solitarily than other North American herons, typically wading belly-deep in water alone or at the edge of a mixed flock.

Did you know?

The species was likely the most numerous heron in North America until the arrival of the cattle egret in the 1950s, though its population now appears to be on a decline.