When I was a kid, and a hunter, I accidentally shot one, thinking it was a goose!! Strikingly slender, with long bill, neck, and legs, it is often seen wading belly-deep in coastal lagoons. Size: 38 – 54 inches tall, wingspan 65 – 80 inches Great blue herons are one of the largest and most widespread wading birds in North America, found in wetlands throughout the region. The Tricolored Heron is a sleek and slender heron adorned in blue-gray, lavender, and white. The grey heron (which occupies the same ecological niche in Eurasia as the great blue heron) has very similar plumage, but has a solidly soft-gray neck. The Great Blue Heron was perched on the top of a neighboring residential fishing dock gazebo. They may move slowly, but Great Blue Herons can strike like lightning to grab a fish or snap up a gopher. Diet / Food: Tricolored Heron stalks its prey in shallow or deeper water, often running as it does so. The white stripe down the middle of its sinuous neck and its white belly set it apart from other dark herons. The Great Blue Heron is the most commonly seen of the herons here in The Villages, Florida. Ardea herodias. More info from wikipedia The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near … A Great Blue Heron was spotted along with a lovely Tri-colored Heron, at the tiny neighborhood Swartz Park on Lake Paradise, in The Villages, Florida, on Tuesday evening (9/20/16) at about 5:30PM. the great blue heron is a type of BIRD. Adults have a blue-grey head, neck, back and upperwings, with a white line along the neck. The Tri-colored Herons are steel grey, cream, and have maroon highlights on the upper… This fairly small heron wades through coastal waters in search of small fish, often running and stopping with quick turns and starts, as if dancing in a ballet. The Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias is the largest heron in Canada. Tricolored Heron: Medium heron, blue-gray upperparts, head, neck, wings, paler rump, white stripe on foreneck, white belly. This small private residential lake often hosts a few of the large wading birds. The Tri-colored Herons are steel grey, cream, and have maroon highlights on the upper… Whether poised at a river bend or cruising the coastline with slow, deep wingbeats, the Great Blue Heron is a majestic sight. The Tri-colored Herons are steel grey, cream, and have maroon highlights on the upper… Adults stand over 1 m high with their necks outstretched, and they weigh around 2.5 kg. More info from wikipedia The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near … Similar looking birds to Great Blue Heron: Little Blue Heron Adult, Tricolored Heron Nonbreeding adult, Reddish Egret Nonbreeding adult dark morph, Great Egret Adult, Sandhill Crane Adult ... Tricolored Herons are smaller than Great Blue Herons. I took these pictures mostly from Swartz Park. Great Blue or Tri-Colored Heron? Great Blue Heron & the Tricolored Heron Great Blue Heron: We've all seen the Great Blue Heron, either standing in a shallow pond or the backwater of a river, probing for for small fish and other aquatic life. Bill and legs are olive-brown. The belly is white. The belly is white. Description. As the name suggests, it displays a variety of colors in its plumage. The tricolored heron is a marsh bird that can be found around ponds, lakes and ditches. Erroneously, the great blue heron is sometimes referred to as a "crane". Tri-colored Herons and Great Blue Herons make their home on the lovely little Lake Paradise here in The Villages, FL. Tricolored Heron. Adults have a blue-grey head, neck, back and upperwings, with a white line along the neck. They can be found all over North America, with many migrating to Colorado in the spring, returning to the same nesting site year after year. The crane's neck is straight and the heron's is always curved. Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias With a wingspan that can be up to six & a half feet across and a body length up to 54 inches long, the Great Blue Heron is the largest heron in North America. A Great Blue Heron was spotted along with a lovely Tri-colored Heron, at the tiny neighborhood Swartz Park on Lake Paradise, in The Villages, Florida, on Tuesday evening (9/20/16) at about 5:30PM. It is a large heron although smaller than the great blue heron and great egret. I also frequently can spot Little Blue Herons and occasionally see the gorgeous medium-sized Trim-colored Heron. Great Blue or Tri-Colored Heron? - NY Bird Identification Q&A. The tricolored heron stalks its prey in shallow or deeper water, often running as it does so. The Tri-colored Heron was out successfully fishing for… Great blue herons (Ardea herodias) are large birds that stand up to 4 feet high and weigh up to 8 pounds, with a wingspan of 7 feet. Tri-colored Herons and Great Blue Herons make their home on the lovely little Lake Paradise here in The Villages, FL. It is a large, slate-gray bird with white and black accents on the head and neck. Photographs and descriptions of Florida's Herons and Egrets. In breeding plumage, they have long blue filamentous plumes on the head and neck, and buff ones on the back.