Little Blue Heron
Adult
Smaller, long-legged heron with a daggerlike bill. Adults have a purple-maroon head and neck and a dark slaty-blue body. Bill is two-toned, with blue-gray at the base.
© Etienne Artigau | Macaulay LibraryFlorida, March 06, 2017Juvenile
Juveniles are entirely white, except for vague dusky tips to the outer primaries. Note two-toned bill.
© Zak Pohlen | Macaulay LibraryIdaho, October 26, 2015Adult
Wades in shallow wetlands or stands patiently as it stalks fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects.
© Matthew D. Medler | Macaulay LibraryFlorida, October 29, 2014Not all videos have soundImmature
Immature birds that are molting into adult plumage are a patchwork of white and blue.
© Susan Young | Macaulay LibraryFlorida, June 08, 2017Adult
Flies with its neck tucked in and legs trailing behind. Often appears all dark, especially from a distance and in poor light.
© Jeremiah Trimble | Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 27, 2012Juvenile
Flies with slow, steady wingbeats, usually with its neck and head pulled back against the body. The dusky tips on the outer primaries of juveniles are often easier to see in flight.
© Ashley Bradford | Macaulay LibrarySouth Carolina, January 03, 2017Juvenile
Little Blue Herons are stand-and-wait foragers, patiently watching the water with their necks extended and bills pointed downward for small fish, amphibians, or aquatic invertebrates.
© David Trescak | Macaulay LibraryQuebec, July 27, 2016Adult
When not foraging often stands with its neck tucked, in a hunchbacked posture.
© Luke Seitz | Macaulay LibraryPuntarenas, March 19, 2017Habitat
Found in swamps, marshes, ponds, streams, lagoons, tidal flats, canals, ditches, fish hatcheries, and flooded fields.
© Oscar Johnson | Macaulay LibraryLouisiana, March 18, 2017