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Little
Blue Heron
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Common name: Little Blue Heron
Class: Aves
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Egretta
Species: Egretta caerulea |
photo M. Noonan |
Taxonomy/
Description
The Little blue
heron is a small, dark bird that ranges from 63 to 74
centimeters in length. It can have a wingspread of up to
1.04 meters and weigh about 396 grams. The sexes of this
species are similar in appearance, but the young look
very different from the adults. An adult can be
recognized by its purple-maroon colored head and neck.
The rest of a Little blue heron’s feathers are a slate
gray. In addition, the Little blue heron has a long neck
that is usually held in an "S" shaped curve while the
bird is at rest or in flight. This heron also has a
long, slender bill that curves slightly downward and it
pointed at the tip. The bill is also dark gray in color
and black at the tip. Its eyes are yellow and the legs
and feet are dark. Little blue heron chicks are unlike
any other heron because they have all white body
plumage. They have a blue bill with a black tip and dull
green legs. They stay white through their first summer,
fall, and into winter, but start molting in February
into the dark color of an adult.
Habitat/
Diet
The Little blue
heron can be found along the Atlantic coast from
Massachusetts to Florida, but is most abundant along the
Gulf of Mexico. Its range also extends into the Amazon
Basin, the Caribbean, and the more northern regions of
North America as far as the border between the US and
Canada. Little blue herons do not often live near
saltwater and are mainly inland birds. They prefer
freshwater areas such as ponds, lakes, marshes, swamps,
and lagoons, but also sometimes occupy flooded and dry
grasslands, or marine coastlines. The Little blue heron
feeds mainly during the daylight hours. They are a
carnivorous bird, with their diet consisting of fish,
frogs, lizards, snakes, turtles, and crustaceans such as
fiddler crabs, crayfish and shrimp. In addition, they
also eat aquatic insects and spiders. When swamps and
marshes become dry, they live on grasshhoppers,
crickets, beetles and other grassland insects.
photo M. Noonan
Behavior/
Reproduction
The Little Blue
Heron's long legs enable it to wade into the water,
where it walks slowly along an area in order to locate
prey, often retracing its steps or standing motionless.
They sometimes rake the ground with their foot to
disturb prey into movement and stretch their long necks
to peer into the water. Their long beak is used to jab
and eat the prey. Prior to mating, males stretch their
necks upward with the bill pointing up, and then assume
a crouched posture. Their movements include bill
snapping, vocalizing, and neck swaying. If a female is
impressed, she will approach him. The male will then
gathers sticks to present to the female, raising his
plumes and nibbling her feathers as she places the
sticks into a nest structure. This flimsy nest is
usually built up to 3-4.5 meters above the ground or
water, but can be as high as 12 meters.
The pale, blue-green eggs of the Little Blue Heron are
laid in April. They can lay from 3-5 eggs, but on
average lay 4-5. This process takes 5-8 days, with one
egg being laid every other day. Both the male and female
Little blue herons incubate the eggs, until they hatch
in 22-24 days, when both parents then take on the
responsibility of feeding the chicks. When the chicks
are about 30 days old, they are able to fly and
periodically leave the nest area. Finally, at 42-49
days, the young are ready to live on their own. Little
Blue Herons can breed when they are one year old.
photo M. Noonan
Where to see them in WNY
One’s best chance
at seeing a Little blue heron is on the Swallow Hollow
Trail at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. From the
parking lot, take the trail heading to the left. From
the parking lot, take the trail heading to the left. Be
sure to begin looking once you reach the earthen dike;
emergent marshes like this one are great habitats for
these birds. |