heron

Black Crowned Night Heron

The Black Crowned Night Heron is a unique species of waterbird that can be found anywhere near Florida’s fresh or saltwater sources. Standing around two feet tall with a wingspan of about 46 inches, the Black Crowned Night Heron sports a white belly, pale gray wings, red eyes, blue-black head and back, and two white head plumes falling over its back. They are best known for their stocky silhouette and comical lack of neck. Their calls can primarily be heard at night and sound like short, winded whoops.
The Black Crowned Night Heron is aptly named for its nocturnal habits, spending its nights hunting small aquatic animals like fish, mollusks, and the occasional seabird. They are opportunistic feeders and will eat a variety of what is available to them now, even carrion and plant matter. Despite this, they roost colonially in trees with other Black Crowned Night Herons or birds of different species, such as egrets and ibises.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
Author Sarina Pennington, IOF volunteer
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Tri-colored heron

Tri-colored Heron (Egretta tricolor) is a sleek and slender bird with a daggerlike bill. They have a long thin neck that curves up to their small head. The Tri-colored heron is a medium size bird that measures up to 23.6-27.6 inches with a wingspan of 37.4 inches and weighs about 14.6 oz. It is a colorful bird with a mixture of blue-gray, lavender, and white. Unlike other dark herons, they have a white belly.
On the Atlantic coast, they will migrate south, whereas on the gulf coast, they remain year-round, though some may migrate further south. Tri-colored Herons can be found in coastal areas and freshwater marshes, lake edges, canals, and ditches during the non-breeding seasons. During breeding seasons, they will use coastal estuaries, salt marshes, mangroves, and lagoons, though they typically breed on islands with small trees or shrubs. Breeding birds have small white plumes extending from the back of the head, a bright blue patch of skin around the bill, and pink legs. Nonbreeding birds lack the colors of breeding birds and have yellow legs. Juveniles have rusty necks and rusty-edged feathers.
These birds forage for small fish, such as topminnows and killifishes, in open or semi-open brackish wetlands. To capture these small fish, they will stalk, chase, and stand and wait. Unlike other heron species, the Tri-colored Heron foraging style is much more active as they will chase after fish with wings flapping. They usually forage alone or at the edge of flocks of wading birds. Despite being solitary foragers, they do nest in colonies, often with other herons and egrets.
Males are aggressive if others come close to their nest site, though females can enter during courtship. Once paired, they formed a monogamous bond for the breeding season and perhaps longer. Males collect twigs for the female, who will rearrange them for the best, making it a bulkier platform. There will typically be about 3-5 eggs in a clutch though only one young typically hatch. Eggs are pale greenish blue. The incubation period is about 21-24 days. Young can leave the nest after 17-21 days after hatching.
Tri-colored Herons are common with a stable population from 1966 to 2015, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, though the status of this species differs by state and region. In the central Everglades in Florida, the number of breeding pairs decreased by 75% from 1996 to 2002 and 2007 to 2010, listing the Tricolored Heron as a state threatened by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Reduced freshwater flows in the Everglades are likely responsible for population declines there. In other areas, habitat loss may be contributing to declines but increases in aquaculture farming along the coast can also place Tricolored Herons at greater risk of being shot or falling victim to bird repelling techniques. Still, in other areas, increases in artificial wetland habitat through dredging may benefit Tricolored Herons by providing additional nesting locations.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon, Andy Waldo
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Little Blue Heron

The Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) is a native species of Florida. They are relatively common in peninsular Florida, though they are rare in the panhandle. They can be found in fresh, salt, brackish, swamps, ponds, lakes, and rivers. They can measure 22.1-29.1 inches with a wingspan of 39.4-41.3 inches and weigh up to 10.4-14.5 oz. Juveniles look different from adults; they are white all over, with the exception of their outer wing feathers (outer primaries) which can have some dusky tips. Juveniles molting into adult plumage will be patchy with colorations of blue and white. The adults are dark all over, their head and neck are maroon in color during the breeding season, and during the non-breeding season, it has a purplish head and neck. Their body is a dark slate blue. They have yellow eyes and greenish legs, and the base of their bill is pale blue with a black tip.
The Little Blue Heron is a stand-and-wait predator. They watch the water for prey, changing location by strolling or flying to a completely different site. Their diet consists of fish, insects, shrimp, and amphibians. They are solitary predators preferring to hunt alone, along freshwater systems, and on floating vegetation. However, they nest in colonies on trees among other nesting herons and wading birds. Nests are built out of sticks and are placed in trees and shrubs and will lay up to three to five blue-green eggs that will hatch in 20 to 24 days. The young can leave the nests and fly (fledged) at 28 days of age.
The little blue heron’s current threats are not well understood. Still, they may include coastal development, disturbance at foraging and breeding sites, environmental issues, degradation of feeding habitat, reduced prey availability, and predators. Other threats may include exposure such as pesticides, toxins, and parasite infection. The U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects this species. Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule lists them as a state-threatened species.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Great White Heron

The Great White Heron, Ardea herodias occidentalis, is a wading bird that can only be found in South Florida and The Florida Keys. It is the largest heron. Whether the Great White Heron is a color morph, a subspecies of the Great Blue Heron, or a new species is a topic that is still being researched. However, it has been commonly accepted that this Florida native bird is a subspecies of the Great Blue Heron. Both birds share similar characteristics. The Great White Heron is a larger bird with solid white feathers and yellow legs, while the Great Blue Heron is a smaller bird with blue-gray feathers and black legs. Great White Herons can be distinguished from the Great White Egrets by their larger size, yellow legs vs black legs of the Great White Egret, thicker bills, and coiled neck when flying.
The nesting habitat of the Great White Heron is primarily located in the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge and Key West National Wildlife Refuge. About 800–1,300 pairs of Great White Herons breed in the mangrove islands, shoals, and mudflats of Florida Bay and the Florida Keys. Breeding rarely takes place on the mainland of Florida. Nesting occurs throughout the year and peaks between December to February.
Great White Herons forage in turtle grass beds. The tidal cycle limits their access to food because they can only reach it at low tide. The Great White Heron’s habitat has also been negatively impacted by boat traffic through these seagrass beds. Because they inhabit a small geographic area, pollution of their home range and habitat loss caused by human activities, as well as climate change contribute to the ongoing threats to Great White Herons.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
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Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Herons, Ardea herodias, are one of the most recognizable birds in Florida. The heron’s height and beautiful blue-gray plumage are hard to miss. They can reach 54 inches from head to tail, have a wingspan up to 75 inches, but weigh a mere 5-6 pounds.

You will most often find a Great Blue Heron standing alone at the water’s edge in saltwater or freshwater habitats. Fish, turtles, frogs, insects, birds, and rodents that pass within the area of the heron’s long neck are quickly snatched up by its powerful, long beak. Herons will also forage in fields or grasslands for frogs, birds, and small rodents.

During the breeding season, Great Blue Herons and their mates become part of a breeding colony that can include hundreds of pairs. Breeding colonies of Great Blue Herons are most often found in trees that are within 2-4 miles of their feeding areas. They may also be seen in mangroves, bushes, or on the ground. Males court females who lay 2-6 eggs. The couple shares the responsibility of incubating the eggs for up to a month and feeding the hatchlings for up to 3 months.

While Great Blue Heron’s remain mostly monogamous and enjoy the protection of the colony during the breeding season, for the rest of the year, they are solitary birds and will aggressively defend their feeding territory.

Photo Credit: Dan Kon and Andy Waldo

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