Little Blue Heron

A medium-sized heron with uniformly blue-gray plumage on the body and a head and neck of a more intense blue-violet tone. The bill is long, grayish with a dark tip. The legs are greenish or bluish. In breeding plumage it develops filamentous blue-lavender plumes on the neck and back. The eyes are yellow. The juvenile is entirely white and can be confused with the white egret. It measures 55 to 70 cm. Not to be confused with the Cocoi Heron (larger and with a different pattern) or the Whistling Heron (with distinct facial and neck markings).

Behaviour

Solitary and silent. It hunts at the edges of lagoons and streams in shallow water, remaining motionless or walking slowly. It captures small fish, frogs, crabs and aquatic insects. Less common than the cocoi heron and the great egret. It may join mixed groups of herons at the roosts.

How and when to see it

A scarce species in the Iberá, with isolated records. When it appears, it forages alone at the quiet shores of the lagoons of Portal Laguna Iberá and Galarza.

Where to see it in the Iberá

The gateways of the Great Iberá Park where little blue heron has confirmed presence:

Tours to see it

Verified providers operating at the gateways where little blue heron lives. You contact them directly on WhatsApp from the app.

• Esteros Ñe’é
  Experiencias con relato local y mirada cultural sobre los esteros.★ 5.0
• Gaucho Argentino
  Travesías a caballo por una red de refugios en el Iberá. Cabalgatas de varios días con…★ 5.0
• Irupé Excursiones
  Senderismo guiado. Visita guiada a museos, lugares históricos, capillas y senderos del…★ 5.0
• Salvaje Iberá
  Senderismo, cicloturismo, safari fotográfico, avistaje de fauna, paseos largos en el día…★ 5.0

Species profile

• Common nameLittle Blue Heron
• Scientific nameEgretta caerulea
• GroupBird
• StatusNative

Other species of the Iberá

• 🦜 Red-and-green Macaw
• 🦤 Greater Rhea
• 🐦 Strange-tailed Tyrant
• 🦢 Southern Screamer
• 🦩 Jabiru
• 🦃 Bare-faced Curassow
• 🐦 Giant Wood-Rail
• 🦩 Wood Stork