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Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)    Herons, Egrets and Bitterns (Ardeidae)
Blåhejre    Garza Azul
Little Blue Heron 1563    (1 photos)
2013-03-27   La Boquita, Manzanillo, Colima (Col), Mexico

Adult bird. The colors are bad here, but the two-colored bill without reddish base and the purplish upper neck combined with bluegray body give the species. The base of the bill appears yellow here, but is caused by the light angle. Dark morph of Reddish Egret is somewhat similar but is always a more heavy bird and with more reddish brown and grayish colors.


Little Blue Heron 1564    (1 photos)
2013-03-27   La Boquita, Manzanillo, Colima (Col), Mexico

Adult. Same as 1563.


Little Blue Heron 1565    (4 photos)
2013-03-29   El Chupadero, Tecomán, Colima (Col), Mexico

Adult in flight. Here unmistakable. Funny to see how the neck and the body blend completely together. Reddish Egret would show a pink base to the bill and brighter reddish pink colors to the neck, and also not have the greenish feet as shown here. Here with stretched out neck, something you normally only see with the herons when they have just taken flight.


Little Blue Heron 1569    (2 photos)
2013-03-31   Salinas de Cuyutlán, Colima (Col), Mexico

Adult. Here at a locality where also the Reddish Egret can be seen. However, the compact size and absence of reddish colors make the id-matter straight forward.


Little Blue Heron 1570    (1 photos)
2013-03-31   Salinas de Cuyutlán, Colima (Col), Mexico

2 2cy birds. The bills are stronger with slightly different shape and with blue grayish color and you also clearly perceive the dirty bluish cast to the plumage which are not shown by the young Snowy Egrets.


Little Blue Heron 1572    (4 photos)
2013-08-01   Las Hadas Golf Course, Manzanillo, Colima (Col), Mexico

2cy bird. The gaudy look of the young bird at this time of year is characteristic. Hopeless flight picture, no 2, but still very illustrative regarding the progress of molt from young to adult plumage.


Little Blue Heron 1581    (1 photos)
2013-12-15   Presa La Vega, west of Gdl, Jalisco (Jal), Mexico

Adult. Here unmistakable. See other pictures for explanation.


Little Blue Heron 1576    (2 photos)
2013-12-27   La Boquita, Manzanillo, Colima (Col), Mexico

Adult standing in the rain.


Little Blue Heron 1562    (1 photos)
2014-02-22   Valle de las Garzas (laguna), Manzanillo, Colima (Col), Mexico

2cy bird. Not the best photo to learn from, but the somewhat thicker bill with blue gray basis and darker outer half is what distinguishes it from the very similar young Snowy Egret. These two cause most id-problems in relation to white herons. The young Little Blue Heron is always white.


Little Blue Heron 1578    (3 photos)
2014-03-02   Valle de las Garzas (laguna), Manzanillo, Colima (Col), Mexico

2cy bird. Here you clearly see the weak black tips to the primaries which are characteristic for the young Little Blue Heron. There were 3 young birds all together.


Little Blue Heron 3003    (6 photos)
2016-02-29   San Francisco (San Pancho), Nayarit (Nay), Mexico

A typical adult bird in non-breeding plumage. But do notice the rather yellow(ish) cere which should normally not be a color possible to see associated with this species. Pale greenish is more common, and perhaps that is what it would actually look like in a neutral light. This bird was shot in the late afternoon.


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