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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies (Order Pelecaniformes)

-Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns (Family Ardeidae)

-Typical Herons and Egrets (Subfamily Ardeinae)

-​Typical Egrets (Genus Egretta)

-Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)


Little Blue Herons are very dark all over. They have a rich purple-maroon head and neck and dark slaty-blue body. They have yellow eyes, greenish legs, and a bill that is pale blue at the base, black at the tip. The Little Blue Heron is a stand-and-wait predator. They watch the water for fish and other small morsels, changing locations by walking slowly or by flying to a completely different site. They nest in trees, usually among other nesting herons and wading birds. They eat mainly fish and crustacean, including crabs and crayfish. Away from water eats grasshoppers and other insects. Other food items can include tadpoles, frogs, lizards, snakes, turtles, spiders.

Little Blue Heron

Egretta caerulea

Diet

  • Primarily small fish, frogs, tadpoles, shrimp, crabs, crayfish, aquatic insects, and other aquatic invertebrates.

  • Also feeds on small reptiles and occasionally small mammals.

  • Hunts by slowly stalking through shallow water or standing motionless before striking prey with its long, pointed bill.

Range

  • Found from the southeastern United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and much of South America to Peru and Uruguay.

  • Widespread throughout Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a common year-round resident.

  • Inhabits freshwater and saltwater marshes, mangroves, estuaries, lagoons, ponds, rivers, mudflats, and coastal wetlands.

  • Northern populations migrate south during winter, while birds in Mexico are largely resident.

Male / Female

  • Male: Slate-blue body with a maroon-purple head and neck during the breeding season; slightly larger than the female.

  • Female: Similar plumage but generally slightly smaller and less robust.

  • Juveniles: Entirely white during their first year, gradually moulting into the blue adult plumage.

  • Sexes cannot be reliably distinguished in the field except by subtle size differences.

Size

  • Length: 56–74 cm (22–29 in)

  • Wingspan: 97–110 cm (38–43 in)

  • Weight: 325–550 g (11.5–19.4 oz)

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