I agree Lisa that this doesn't look anything like our tricolor herons but looking in my smaller book (Mariane has my big one) I see you may be right. Dark blue head, neck and wings contrast with a white belly and neck. small brown patches at base of neck with lighter brown on the lower back. Long, slender yellow bill with a dark tip. Legs yellow to aple green. Female is the same. Now I have a photo of a tri-colored that I identified from the web and it is brown, gray, white and yellow feathered. Here is an example of the kind we see here in SC http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5960/tricolor.html
This is what makes it so hard to identify some birds. The tri-colored herons we see here aren't even in my little book which is Birds of the Carolinas.
I think we get two different kinds of tri-colors around here. One is definitely what they used to call a Lousiana heron and the other looks a lot more your photo, Lisa. I have a tough time too, between juveniles and female and male differences it's hard to tell sometimes.
Absolutely stunning capture, Lisa! I've never seen anything like this in all my life ~ what an incredible creature! Thank you for sharing this with the rest of us. :)
This is so beautiful, I just love the colors and never would have taken it for a tri-color heron until I looked it up. See my note under Marianne's comment. I'd love to see one with these brilliant colors. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled.
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Comments: 33
Tricolored Heron is slightly larger and thinner, and has white belly, white line down throat, and white head plumes.
That's interesting. I never knew how to tell one from the other, lol.
Here is an example of the kind we see here in SC
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5960/tricolor.html
This is what makes it so hard to identify some birds. The tri-colored herons we see here aren't even in my little book which is Birds of the Carolinas.
I have a tough time too, between juveniles and female and male differences it's hard to tell sometimes.
Thanks so much for sharing with my group.
Thanks for posting to *My Bird Shots*!