{"id":1088,"date":"2010-10-14T06:36:39","date_gmt":"2010-10-14T12:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=1088"},"modified":"2025-08-21T13:03:36","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T18:03:36","slug":"tricolored-herons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/10\/14\/tricolored-herons\/","title":{"rendered":"Tricolored Herons"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"TricoloredTricolored Heron side view –\u00a0 D200, handheld, laying in the sand & water at the shoreline, f7.1, 1\/750, ISO 200, 80-400mm VR at 270mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Another one of my favorite wading birds is the Tricolored Heron, a bird that used to be called the Louisiana Heron.<\/p>\n

Thy can be found in estuaries along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, in inland freshwater marshes in Florida.<\/p>\n

These herons had been confined to the southeastern United States but have spread since the 1940’s to breed as far north as Maine and was seen and photographed by a photographer friend of mine; Jim DeWitt<\/a>, in Idaho, which was only the second documented Tricolored in the state of Idaho.<\/p>\n

Northern populations are migratory. This species is also widespread in Central and South America.<\/p>\n

Tricolored Herons are very active when feeding, they dash, stretch their necks out to strike their prey and occasionally they use their wings to shade the water to spot fish.<\/p>\n

Tricolored Herons mainly eat fish but\u00a0 I have also seen them eat shrimp.<\/p>\n

When Tricolored Herons are in breeding plumage the lores and part of the bill closest to the face become blue and the eye becomes much redder. The heron above is in nonbreeding plumage.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Tricolored Heron photos plus facts and information about this species<\/p>\n

Similar species<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Little<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Another one of my favorite wading birds is the Tricolored Heron, a bird that used to be called the Louisiana Heron. It can be found in estuaries along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, in inland freshwater marshes in Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":153141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,25,254],"tags":[4004,824,4021,4083,4116,4153,627,626,3970,4118,3989,4001,313,4119],"class_list":["post-1088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-florida","category-tricolored-herons","tag-adult","tag-bird-photographer","tag-bird-photography","tag-birding","tag-egretta-tricolor","tag-fort-de-soto-county-park","tag-heron","tag-herons","tag-hunting","tag-stalking","tag-tricolored-heron","tag-wading-bird","tag-wading-birds","tag-waves"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-mia-mcpherson-8889.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-hy","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7421,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/02\/05\/breeding-plumage-tricolored-heron-in-flight\/","url_meta":{"origin":1088,"position":0},"title":"Breeding plumage Tricolored Heron in flight","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I've always liked this image of a Tricolored Heron in breeding plumage that flew past me while I sat in the water of a tidal lagoon near a Spartina marsh in Florida. Warm water, a sea breeze, birds, nature and photography.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Breeding plumage Tricolored Heron in flight, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tricolored-heron-breeding-flight-mia-mcpherson5517.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tricolored-heron-breeding-flight-mia-mcpherson5517.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tricolored-heron-breeding-flight-mia-mcpherson5517.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/tricolored-heron-breeding-flight-mia-mcpherson5517.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14914,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/05\/08\/crouching-tricolored-herons\/","url_meta":{"origin":1088,"position":1},"title":"Crouching Tricolored Herons","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 8, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Tricolored Herons use many foraging behaviors to obtain their prey including walking quickly then crouching before stabbing their prey.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Crouching Tricolored Heron, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-crouching-mia-mcpherson-1314.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-crouching-mia-mcpherson-1314.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-crouching-mia-mcpherson-1314.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-crouching-mia-mcpherson-1314.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7009,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/01\/03\/tricolored-heron-striking-at-prey\/","url_meta":{"origin":1088,"position":2},"title":"Tricolored Heron Striking At Prey","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 3, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I am intrigued by how these herons evolved to have long necks that give them the ability to make lightning fast strikes at their prey some distance from their bodies.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tricolored Heron splash down, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-splash-down-mia-mcpherson-3554.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-splash-down-mia-mcpherson-3554.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-splash-down-mia-mcpherson-3554.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-splash-down-mia-mcpherson-3554.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6110,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/09\/13\/tricolored-heron-in-sea-foam\/","url_meta":{"origin":1088,"position":3},"title":"Tricolored Heron In Seafoam","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I photographed this Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) a few years ago when I still lived in Florida.","rel":"","context":"In "Florida"","block_context":{"text":"Florida","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/florida\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tricolored Heron in seafoam, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-florida-mia-mcpherson-2901.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-florida-mia-mcpherson-2901.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-florida-mia-mcpherson-2901.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/tricolored-heron-florida-mia-mcpherson-2901.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16024,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/10\/02\/tricolored-heron-hunting-the-gulf-of-mexicos-shoreline\/","url_meta":{"origin":1088,"position":4},"title":"Tricolored Heron Hunting The Gulf Of Mexico’s Shoreline","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Tricolored Herons are smaller than Great Blue Herons and larger than Snowy Egrets and all three of these wading birds hunt in many of the same locations along the Gulf Coast.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tricolored Heron hunting the Gulf of Mexico\u2019s shoreline, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tricolored-heron-foraging-mia-mcpherson-2893.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tricolored-heron-foraging-mia-mcpherson-2893.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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