Blue Crane, or Heron

Plate 307
Featured in this Plate
Little Blue Heron
Egretta caerulea
LCIUCN Status
Guide
Despite its different last name, the Little Blue Heron is probably a close relative of the Snowy Egret. It looks much like a Snowy when it is young, but molts to a dark slate-blue plumage as an adult. Generally wary and hard to approach. Nests in colonies, sometimes of this species alone; in large mixed heronries, Little Blues tend to nest along the edges. Some of its largest colonies are in the lower Mississippi Valley, where it often nests in association with Cattle Egrets.
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Plate 306
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Plate 308