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.
Juveniles are entirely white, except for vague dusky tips to the outer primaries. Note two-toned bill.
Wades in shallow wetlands or stands patiently as it stalks fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects.
Immature birds that are molting into adult plumage are a patchwork of white and blue.
Flies with its neck tucked in and legs trailing behind. Often appears all dark, especially from a distance and in poor light.
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.
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.
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This is a fairly small heron with a slight body, slender neck, and fairly long legs. It has rounded wings, and a long, straight, spearlike bill that is thick at the base.
Smaller than a Great Blue Heron; about the size of a Snowy Egret.
between crow and gooseHerons, Egrets, and Bitterns(Order: Pelecaniformes, Family: Ardeidae)
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