Little Blue Heron
Egretta caerulea
Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns (Ardeidae) · Pelecaniformes · Herons, Ibis, and Allies
Play a quiz with Little Blue Heron and similar species
View all photos, video and sound
Review needed
Motmot is a community-driven project, and many photos still need a human check. If you know this bird, you can help by reviewing its images.
O-o, we ran out of AI credits. I develop Motmot in my spare time, and there is no funding behind it right now. If you would like to help it grow, write to me at info@motmot.club.
How to identify Little Blue Heron
Writing identification notes…
This looks up identification notes in open sources, then asks the model to write them. It can take a minute.
Log in to generate identification notes for this bird.
Often mixed up with
In quizzes, players most often confuse Little Blue Heron with these birds—either this species was picked by mistake, or the other way around.
| Species | Mix-ups |
|---|---|
| Tricoloured Heron Egretta tricolor | 10 |
| Reddish Egret Egretta rufescens | 9 |
| Snowy Egret Egretta thula | 5 |
| Green Heron Butorides virescens | 4 |
| Yellow-crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea | 2 |
Family
Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genus Botaurus are referred to as bitterns, and, together with the zigzag heron, or zigzag bittern, in the monotypic genus Zebrilus, form a monophyletic group, Botaurinae, within the Ardeidae family. Egrets do not form a biologically distinct group from herons, and tend to be named differently because they …
Order
The Pelecaniformes are an order of medium-sized and large waterbirds found worldwide. As traditionally (but erroneously) defined, they encompass all birds that have feet with all four toes webbed. Hence, they were formerly also known by such names as totipalmates or steganopods.