Characteristics
 The little blue heron is a small heron. It is about two feet tall with a wingspan of about 40 inches. It has slate-blue feathers with a maroon neck and head. Its bill is gray with a black tip and it has gray to blue legs and feet.
Its long bill is gray with a black tip and it curves slightly downward. It has yellow eyes and black legs. Males and females look alike. Young little blue herons are white and have blue bills with a black tip and dull green legs.
RangeThe little blue heron breeds from New England south to Florida. It also breeds on the Gulf Coast north to Illinois. Occasionally it breeds in Southern California and New Mexico. It winters on the Gulf Coast and on the Atlantic Coast north to New Jersey. The little blue heron is also found in the tropics.
Habitat
The little blue heron makes its home in freshwater swamps, lagoons, coastal thickets and islands.
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Diet
The little blue heron eats fish, crustaceans, amphibians, insects and reptiles. It stands in shallow water and waits for its prey to go by, and then it grabs its prey with its pointed bill.
Life Cycle
 The male usually chooses the nesting territory before selecting a female.
The male will court the female by stretching his neck out and pointing his bill up. He then crouches and may snap his bill, sway his neck back and forth and vocalize. The female may approach him aggressively at first, but soon the pair will groom each other and twine their necks together.
Both the herons build the nest. The male then gathers twigs for the nest and presents them to the female who will build the nest. The nest is made of sticks, reeds and grass. The nest is usually built a few feet above the ground in a tree or a bush, although sometimes it is built on reeds or on the ground. The female lays three to five eggs. The eggs hatch in about three weeks. Both parents incubate the eggs. Chicks are fed regurgitated food by both parents. They fledge when they are 35 and 40 days old.
The little blue heron has a lifespan of up to seven years.
Behavior
The little blue heron often follows farmers as they are plowing fields and then grabs the insects that are disturbed by the plow.
Image Credits: Clipart.com unless otherwise noted
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