General Description: Tricolored Herons (Egretta tricolor) are medium-sized egrets that are dark above, white below, and usually have a light stripe down the front of the neck. The bill is distinctly two-toned (dark above, yellow below), the facial skin is yellow, and the legs are yellowish green. The feeding style usually is slow and deliberate, but they can also dance around and create quite a commotion while scaring up little fish.

Taxonomy: Pelecaniformes, Ardeidae.

Favored Habitat: Freshwater and saltwater ponds, marshes, and mudflats.

Where to Find: Don't look for Tricolored Herons around Las Vegas. Rather, look for them along the Gulf and US east coasts, and during summer, look for them in the Gulf of California (Mexico). Ding Darling NWR, the City of Dunedin, and Everglades National Park are good places to see these birds. Also look for them throughout coastal Mexico and Central America, throughout the Caribbean region, and along the northeast coast of South America. Wanders north into the US heartland, including records from the Las Vegas area.

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