In the shallows of marine and freshwater marshes, where water and vegetation meet, the Little Blue Heron stalks. Named for its slate blue plumage, the Little Blue Heron blends in well with dark marsh plants. However, these birds are white for their first year, associating with other white egrets that feed in open habitats.

Little Blue Herons breed along the Atlantic coast from southern Maine to Florida, with concentrations from South Carolina southward. Breeding across the Florida peninsula, this egret is distributed unevenly around the Gulf Coast and coastal plain, with the greatest densities in Louisiana. Little Blue Herons also breed up the Mississippi River valley into Illinois and through eastern Texas into Kansas. Wintering territory shrinks back to the warmer coasts. Little Blue Herons also occur throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and South America as far south as Uruguay.

 

A legend for the range map to the right can be found here.

With little historical data, long-term population trends for Little Blue Herons are difficult to determine. Between 1966 and 2003, Breeding Bird Survey data indicate fairly stable numbers overall, with increases along the mid-Atlantic Coast and in parts of Mississippi, Arkansas, and the Midwest; however, compensating losses occurred in almost every other state. The Little Blue Heron is a species of conservation concern in Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. Kentucky's State Nature Preserves considers it endangered, and Mississippi lists it as warranting "timely conservation action."

Lacking the breeding plumes most coveted by feather hunters in the 1800s, Little Blue Herons avoided the extensive slaughter of other egrets. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 put an end to the millenary trade—and to the losses of these beautiful birds.

 

Today, the loss of feeding habitat seems to be the greatest limiting factor for this dark heron. Between 1780 and 1980, key breeding and wintering states like Mississippi, Arkansas, and Florida lost over 50% of their wetlands. Despite the recent preservation of key breeding sites like Florida's Pelican Island and Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, the Little Blue Heron has not shown significant population increases. As a result of farmland expansion, residential development, and recreation, changes in water levels and flow have degraded coastal and riparian wetlands for breeding and wintering herons. Refuge managers now work to maintain open wetland habitats, which first year Little Blues use. A few states limit human proximity to sensitive breeding and foraging areas, but additional public education and buffer zones are needed.

Join a local nature walk to look for the sometimes elusive Little Blue Heron. Viewing platforms overlooking marshes provide the best views.

 

Attend a wildlife festival where Little Blue Herons are likely to be seen: the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida; or the Pelican Island Wildlife Festival outside Sebastian, Florida.

 

Intrusions near rookeries and foraging areas disrupt reproduction and feeding. Keep a 100-meter buffer zone between yourself and Little Blue Heron nesting sites.

 

Volunteer to conduct a Breeding Bird Survey and help researchers better understand Little Blue Heron population trends.

 

For more actions you can take, including Audubon activities, please visit our resources page.

Visit our resources page for more information about this species.

Kaufman, Kenn. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, 1996.

 

Rodgers, J. A., Jr., and H. T. Smith. 1995. Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea). In The Birds of North America, No. 145 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.

 

Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2005. Version 6.2.2006. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.

 

Sibley, David Allen. The Sibley Guide to Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 2000.