Little Blue Heron (LBHE)

Egretta caerulea

Adult Little Blue Heron  © Sean Fitzgerald / Macaulay Library
Juvenile Little Blue Heron  © Chris Wood / Macaulay Library


Range

The Little Blue Heron is a resident to medium-distance migrant. Year-round residents inhabit The Gulf Coast, The Caribbean, and parts of Central and South America. These residents only disperse short distances. Birds that breed in the interior southeast of the United States will migrate to the areas occupied by year-round residents, with a larger population in Central America. Links to full maps can be found below. 

Additional Maps

Identification

The Little Blue Heron is a small heron with dark blue and plum-purple plumage with a bicolored bill. Both sexes have similar plumage. Juveniles are almost entirely white. After their first year, they may appear pied as they transition to their adult plumage. 

Little Blue Herons are largely silent but can produce harsh squawks and croaks. To communicate, Little Blue Herons clack their bills. These clacks can range from gentle rattles to aggressive snaps.

Listen to its calls here.

Habitat

This bird is an aquatic species found in both freshwater and saltwater habitats. They often prefer salt marshes, mud flats, and ponds when found along the coast. Marshes, wooded swamps, and streams are utilized inland. Inhabited sites are similar along the entire range. Nesting occurs in shrubs and small trees on upland sites on islands or in standing water. Mangroves and bald cypress are abundant trees in nesting habitats in the marine-estuarine and inland sites respectively. 

The Little Blue Heron feeds in a variety of aquatic habitats. They will often feed at flooded agricultural fields and fish-rearing facilities due to the density of potential food sources. Little Blue Herons feed in canals, marshes, swamps, streams, and other relatively calm-water aquatic habitats.

Conservation Status 

  • Listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
  • Listed as G5 – Secure by Nature Serve
  • Listed as Special Concern in Connecticut by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
  • Listed as Special Concern in New Jersey by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
  • Listed as Special Concern in Virginia by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources

Threats to Conservation

Human disturbance of roost sites is a main threat to the conservation of the Little Blue Heron. The consequences of human disturbance may include egg or nesting mortality, altered behavior, decreased rate of growth in chicks, or colony abandonment. The Little Blue Heron flushes at 19-96 meters when approached on foot by humans. The disturbance of roost sites is also affected by watercraft due to their aquatic nature. Little Blue Herons were flushed from their roosting sites by watercraft up to 108 meters away.

The loss of habitat is another threat to the Little Blue Heron. The physical change of habitat (e.g., cutting of trees or human development) has led to a loss of nesting sites. This habitat loss results in dispersion, relocation, or loss of colonial birds.

Funding Opportunities
General Management Guides
Regional Management Guides
Northeast
Resources
Works Cited