A slender medium-sized heron with blue-purple body, white belly and rump. Active hunter — often dashes through shallows after fish.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The tricolored heron, formerly known as the Louisiana heron, is a small species of heron native to coastal parts of the Americas. The species is more solitary than other species of heron in the Americas and eats a diet consisting mostly of small fish.
Source: Wikipedia — Tricolored heron Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Slim, long-necked heron, dark blue-gray above and on the neck with a bold white stripe down the foreneck and a white belly (the only dark heron with a white belly).
Similar species. Little Blue Heron is dark all over including the belly; the Tricolored's clean white belly and foreneck stripe are diagnostic.
Voice. A nasal, groaning croak; generally quiet away from colonies.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Fish, amphibians, small reptiles, occasional small mammals.
Behavior. A slender, agile heron of coastal marshes and mangroves that wades belly-deep chasing fish through the shallows; formerly called the Louisiana Heron.
§ Range
Southeastern US Coastal Plain
§ Habitat
Coastal marshes, mangroves, salt marshes
§ Threats
Coastal wetland loss, sea-level rise.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the tricolored heron is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support coastal marsh protection. Reduce coastal development.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Tricolored heron
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Egretta tricolor
- IUCN Red List — search for Egretta tricolor
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Egretta tricolor
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
