Species

Tricolored heron

Egretta tricolor

A slim, dark heron with a clean white belly, dancing through Georgia's salt marshes after small fish.

Photo Dori (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab)

At a glance

Size: About 60 to 70 cm long
Weight: About 300 to 450 g
Habitat: Salt marshes, tidal creeks and coastal ponds
Diet: Small fish, shrimp and crabs
In Georgia: Common on the coast all year
Voice: A harsh croak
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Slim, dark blue-grey heron; white belly and white stripe down the front of the neck; long thin bill
Told apart from: Little blue heron, which is all dark
Told apart from: Great blue heron, which is much larger and paler
Where to look: Salt marsh creeks and tidal ponds

Behaviour

Tricolored herons hunt actively, running, turning and spreading their wings to shade the water and see fish more clearly.

Why they matter

This heron is a specialist of coastal marshes, and Georgia's broad salt marshes are among its strongholds on the Atlantic coast. Its elegance earned it the old name "lady of the waters".

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A platform of sticks in mixed colonies
Eggs — Usually three or four
Incubation — About 21 to 25 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about five weeks
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Fishing line and crab traps are hazards in tidal creeks.

Misconceptions

All dark herons are great blue herons. The tricolored heron is smaller, with a white belly.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Present on the coast	Present	Colonies forming	Nesting	Nesting	Chicks	Young fledging	Young dispersing	Present	Present	Present	Present

Where it lives

Recorded in 43 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

United States

If you found one

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