Quick Bird Identifiers

1. ALL WHITE
   1. LARGE SIZE
      1. GREAT EGRET -- Yellow bill & legs
   2. MIDDLE SIZE
      1. SNOWY EGRET -- Black bill, Yellow "Boots"
      2. CATTLE EGRET -- Yellow bill
      3. Imm. LITTLE BLUE HERON -- Bill black tipped
2. NON-WHITE HERONS & BITTERNS
   1. LARGE SIZE
      1. Great-blue Heron
   2. MIDDLE SIZE
      1. Tri-colored Heron -- Dark colored. White belly (seen from front)
      2. Little-blue Heron -- Entire body dark
   3. SMALL SIZE
      1. Green Heron -- A small, dark Heron with Orange or Yellow legs
      2. Least Bittern -- Very small, Buffy neck & wing' patch, Secretive
3. NIGHT-HERONS, BITTERNS & LIMPKINS (Stocky short-necked waders)
   1. Adult NIGHT-HERONS
      1. BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON -- Black head & back
      2. YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON -- White cheek patch & yellow crown.
   2. Immature NIGHT-HERONS (best identified in flight)
      1. YELLOW-CROWNED -- If feet and some ANKLE. project beyond tail in flight
      2. BLACK-CROWNED -- If the feet and NO ANKLE project beyond tail in flight
   3. AMERICAN BITTERN -- Similar in size & color to Imm. Night-herons
      1. To distinguish from Imm.Night-herons look for: BLACK STRIPE on
         neck and in flight they show a DARK OUTER WING AREA.
      2. Best identified in breeding season by an old PUMP SOUND.

...Bob Rogers, OVAS Field Trip Leader