Little Blue Heron
Egretta caerulea
Also known as: Water Gaulin
Habitat
Aquatic
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
339 g
About This Species
Look for this slate-blue heron with a maroon neck stalking slowly through shallow marshes, ponds and tidal creeks, moving with deliberate steps as it hunts fish and amphibians. Immature birds are white and can be confused with egrets until they moult into adult plumage over about a year. Quiet wetland edges at dawn or dusk, watching for slow, methodical movement rather than fast activity, give the best views.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep at least 20-30 metres back and move slowly, since this heron will freeze or fly off if approached directly, especially near a nest in a colonial rookery.
- Colonial wading bird rookeries receive legal protection in much of its range across the southeastern United States, Central America and northern South America, though specific rules and enforcement vary by country.
- A bird that stops hunting and stands alert is signaling that it feels threatened, and the appropriate response is to pause or retreat rather than continue approaching.
LCAvesPelecaniformesArdeidae
Seasonal Activity
2,223,109 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Ardeidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Aquatic
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 339 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.