Tricoloured Heron
Among Costa Rica’s tangled mangroves and shimmering estuaries, there’s a bird that moves with elegance and precision - like a dancer performing solo. Meet the Tricoloured Heron (Egretta tricolor), a coastal hunter cloaked in slate and snow.
Where can you find them?
Tricoloured Herons are found along the coastlines of the Americas, from the southeastern United States all the way down to Peru and Brazil.
In Costa Rica, they grace both the Pacific and Caribbean shores, particularly thriving in:
Estuaries
Mangrove swamps
Saltmarshes and tidal lagoons
If you’re exploring Cahuita National Park or cruising through the Osa Peninsular’s coastal wetlands, keep an eye on the water’s edge - you might just catch their slender silhouette in motion.
What’s on the menu?
These herons are masters of shallow-water hunting, feeding mostly on:
Small dish (their favourite)
Crustaceans
Insects
Occassionally small amphibians
They use a slow, stalking gait and sudden bursts of speed - darting like an arrow to snatch their prey with razor-sharp precision. Watch them for a while, and you’ll notice a blend of patience, focus, and drama in every moment.
How to identify a Tricoloured heron
Despite being one of the more subtly beautiful herons, their markings are distinct once you know what to look for:
Slate-blue-gray head and neck
A white belly and underparts
A thin white stripe running down the neck
Yellow legs (that often flush reddish during breeding season)
In flight, their long neck folds into an S-shape, and thier wings beat with a smooth, measured grace.
A solitary specialist
Unlike some of their social cousins, Tricoloured herons prefer to hunt alone. You’ll often see them moving quietly along the waterline, using their legs to wade into the shallows.
They might pause, crouch, and freeze before lunging forward to catch a meal - an expert in the art of the ambush.
