The tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor), formerly known as the Louisiana heron, is a small species of heron native to coastal parts of the Americas. The species is more solitary than other species of heron in the Americas and eats a diet consisting mostly of small fish.

Habitat, breeding, and distribution

Tricolored herons breed in swamps and other coastal habitats and nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. In each clutch, three to seven eggs are typically laid. The tricolored heron is the second most coastal heron in the United States. The bird is listed as "Threatened" by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Description

This species measures from long and has a typical wingspan of . While other members of Egretta may also eat crabs and opportunistically forage for terrestrial arthropods, the tricolored heron has been consistently observed to be almost exclusively piscivorous, primarily feeding on members of Cyprinodontidae, Fundulidae and Poeciliidae, as well as Centropomidae and Cichlidae.

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File:Tricolored Heron2 by Dan Pancamo.jpg|Feeding

File:Tricolor Heron with Fish - Flickr - Andrea Westmoreland.jpg|Marco Island, Florida

File:Tri-color Heron.JPG

File:Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) RWD5.jpg|Flying

File:Tri-colored heron.jpg|Juvenile

File:Tricolored Heron JCB.jpg

File:Tricolored Heron juv..jpg|Between the crocodiles Tortuguero, Costa Rica

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Predation

In Florida, tricolored herons may be eaten by some growth stage of invasive snakes like Burmese pythons, reticulated pythons, Southern African rock pythons, Central African rock pythons, boa constrictors, yellow anacondas, Bolivian anacondas, dark-spotted anacondas, and green anacondas.

References

Further reading

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  • Tricolored Heron - Egretta tricolor - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
  • Tricolored heron photos at Field Guide: Birds of the World on Flickr
  • Tricolored heron Bird Sound at Florida Museum of Natural History