From Opus

Adult
Photo by David Roach
Broward County Park, South Florida

Egretta caerulea

[edit] Identification

Height 60 cm
Ws. 102 cm
Weight 325 g

Sexes similar

[edit] Breeding Adult

• Blue-grey body
• Purplish head and neck
• Long blue plumes
• Dark blue legs and feet

[edit] Non-breeding Adult

Juvenile
Photo by bobsofpa

• Dark blue head and neck
• Paler legs

[edit] Immature

• All white except for dark wing tips and have
• Yellowish legs

Gradually acquire blue plumage as they mature.

[edit] Distribution

Found along east coast north to Massachusetts, along the Mississippi north to Missouri, and to about 15o miles north of the Gulf Coast. Regularly found 300 miles north of breeding range. Rare vagrant north of that.

Occurs throughout the West Indies and in Mexico breeds on both coasts and south to Panama. In South America ranges south to central Peru in the west and Uruguay in the east.

Northern birds migrate south to winter in Florida, the West Indies and South America.

Photo by bhowdy
Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, South Newport, Georgia, USA, June 2008

[edit] Taxonomy

Monotypic^[1]

[edit] Habitat

Swamps, flooded grasslands and lagoons, also coastal habitats in some areas.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

It nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. 3-7 light blue eggs are laid.

[edit] Diet

Includes fish, crustaceans and insects.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Wikipedia
3. BF Member observations

• List of references

[edit] External Links