The Little Blue Heron undergoes a remarkable plumage transformation — immature birds are entirely white, mimicking Snowy Egrets (which predators avoid) while gaining their first-year survival advantage, before transitioning to slate-blue adult plumage. Adults have a maroon-purple head and neck that contrasts with a blue-gray body. It is a deliberate, slow-stalking hunter.
Habitat
Freshwater marshes, ponds, and coastal estuaries
Diet
Fish, frogs, crayfish, and aquatic invertebrates
How common
Common
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