Egretta caerulea

Also known as Little Blue Egret, Blue Heron

Little blue herons move with slow, deliberate steps through shallow marshes, using a distinctive sharp two-toned bill to impale small fish and crustaceans. Young birds hatch completely white and spend their first year mimicking snowy egrets, gaining safety in numbers while foraging alongside larger white flocks. As they mature, their feathers shift into a piebald calico pattern before settling into a rich slate-blue body topped with a purplish head.