The Tricolored Heron, Egretta tricolor, formerly known in North America as the Louisiana Heron, is a small heron.
Distribution / Breeding:
It is a resident breeder from the Gulf states of the USA and northern Mexico south through Central America and the Caribbean to central Brazil and Peru. There is some post-breeding dispersal to well north of the nesting range.
Tricolored Heron’s breeding habitat is sub-tropical swamps. It nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. In each clutch 3-7 eggs are typically laid.
Description:
This species is about 56 cm (22 in) long, with a 96 cm(38 in) wingspan and weighs 350 g. It is a medium-large, long-legged, long-necked heron with a long pointed yellowish or greyish bill with a black tip. The legs and feet are dark.
Adults have a blue-grey head, neck, back and upperwings, with a white line along the neck. The belly is white. In breeding plumage, they have long blue filamentous plumes on the head and neck, and buff ones on the back.
Diet / Food:
Tricolored Heron stalks its prey in shallow or deeper water, often running as it does so. It eats fish, crustaceans, reptiles and insects.
Heron Information … Heron Species (Listing) … Heron Species Photos
