Little Blue Heron – Adults & Juveniles
The Little Blue Heron is the least flashiest of the North American herons with it’s dull slate blue and purplish-red coloring.
Which is the reason the Little Blue Heron was actually spared from the hunting frenzy that decimated other heron and egret populations during the feathered-hat fashion craze of the early twentieth century. Their dark plumes weren’t desired thankfully!
Little Blue Heron adult
Little Blue Heron adult
Little Blue Heron adult feet
Little Blue Heron adult
The first year of life, the Little Blue Heron is actually white and often confused with the Snowy Egret.
Little Blue Heron juvenile
Little Blue Heron juvenile
Little Blue Heron – almost adulthood!
I lucked out with a juvenile Little Blue Heron foraging around a Snowy Egret. You can see they are quite similar in size and looks. The quickest ID difference is the beak (the egret’s black vs. the heron’s slate blue tipped with black) and the heron missing the egret’s yellow lore.
Snowy Egret (left) and Juvenile Little Blue Heron (right)
Just four frames later an adult Little Blue Heron flew at the juvenile heron above, forcing it into flight. The adult followed/chased it out of my sight. Maybe someone was being scolded for wandering off! 😉
Adult Little Blue Heron chasing juvenile Little Blue Heron
The dark Little Blue Heron isn’t the easiest to photograph, hopefully I shared their own shining beauty to you!
(All photos were taken January through March 2020 in Florida)
Photos by Donna 
Great photos! I have the same problem differentiating white egrets from juvenile Little Blue Heron.
Thank you, Hien! Just get a glimpse of the beak, look for blueish for Little Blue! 🙂
Great photos and info, Donna. They do look so similar. 😍
Thank you, Sylvia! Both equally pretty too! 🥰
Great photos, as always. Especially enjoyed those last two. 😊
Thank you, Irene! I just love these birds! 😊
I can see why. 😊
Nice series, Donna! A heron we don’t see here.
Thank you, Belinda! I’ve always found the adult to be difficult to photograph around home in the mid-Atlantic. But there’s plenty enough of them in Florida that I had many good times trying to get them in a pretty setting and lighting. And still struggled lol. But I did do well to add to my library. 🙂
An excellent set of pictures, Donna. I like a heron of any size and colour.
Thank you, Tom! Me too! 🙂
Beautiful pictures and nice biology lesson. Thanks for posting.
Thank you very much for your comment and stopping by!
Lovely shots Donna. I know I have mentioned it before in the resemblance of our White-faced Heron to your Great Blue, but your first two photos exemplified this.
Thank you, Ashley! They are all so beautiful and have similarities. Then throw in the egrets, lol. 🙂
This is the first time I have seen a Little Blue Heron. Very interesting that they are white as young birds. Beautiful birds and photosl and great info as well!
Thank you, so happy to share this medium size heron with you!
Great series, to make comparisons between the Little Blue Heron and the Snowy Egret. Many people are always in error misidentifying these two species. Your shots are fantastic, Donna. 🙂
Thank you very much, HJ! I surprised a group of six ‘birders’ when I called out the LBH juvenile before us. They had all missed it. 😉
That’s my girl! 🙂
I was proud of myself 😂
I just love your bird photos! 😊
Thank you, Lisa! I very much enjoy trying to capture their beauty and behavior. 😊
The first of juvenile Little blue heron photos woke my imagination as I started to imagine the huge trees and the habitat behind the bird. Love that photo a lot 🙂 It was nice to learn also the differences between White egrets and the juvenile Little blue. Thank you for sharing this information Donna!
Thank you, Minna! Not an easy bird to photograph because of their dark colors, I was very happy to see many this past winter. In that one shot, the LBH is certainly dwarfed by the huge trees! I was driving along a dirt road, looking for birds along the canal. 😊
Dark color is not easy I have noticed that too. Especially with small birds / babies. Somehow the camera does not focus on the wanted spot 😩
👍
Thank you for sharing these and it was a nice story too about how they, thankfully, avoided being hunted for their feathers. (Shame about the others though!)
Thank you, Mike! Yes, the plumage hunt craze was deplorable. These were lucky!
It’s beautiful. Someday I hope to see one in person! Thanks for the ID lesson too!
Thank you, Deborah! 😊
Excellent series, Donna!
Thank you, Indira!
Exactly, it was so beautiful dear Donna, Thank you for all details, I am learning from yours. What a beautiful bird they are. Love, nia
I’ve loved herons for a long time, they are fascinating and entertaining, as you know! Thank you, Nia! 🥰
What a lovely blue-purple tint. I did notice the Snowy Egret’s yellow and, wow. the juvenile IS really close.
You should be an Ornithologist. You teach us.
Believe me, I learn along many times myself! Thanks Vic!
I think these little herons got a bad rap. They’re quite cute. Thanks for the excellent comparison you shared of the juvenile and snowy! A brilliant catch.
Thank you, Gunta! They aren’t so flashy as the other herons, are they? Their darkness makes them harder to find too.