TriColored

Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor

Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor

Formerly known as the Louisiana Heron, the Tricolored heron forages solitarily, unlike its relatives.

It wades often belly deep in waters of coastal lowlands, although it frequents marshes, swamps, streams, and shores, walking slowly or standing still waiting for prey. It also stirs the bottom sediments with its feet forcing prey to move. I have watched this bird hunt a territory by flying over a small open area occasionally dropping or dragging its feet as to attract small fish to the surface, then pick them off on its return flight.

It feeds mainly on small fish, also crustaceans, insects, tadpoles, frogs, lizards, salamanders, and spiders.

As with most wading birds, it breeds in colonies often with mixed species of other waders in mangroves, trees, willows, and thickets of dry scrub, usually two to ten ft. above ground.

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