Egretta tricolor
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor), formerly known as the Louisiana heron, is a small species of heron native to coastal parts of the Americas. The species is more solitary than other species of heron in the Americas and eats a diet consisting mostly of small fish.
Tricolored herons breed in swamps and other coastal habitats and nests in colonies, often with other herons, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs. In each clutch, three to seven eggs are typically laid. The tricolored heron is the second most coastal heron in the United States.
The species' range follows the northeastern United States, south along the coast, through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, to northern South America as far south as Brazil. In the Pacific region, it ranges from Peru to California, but it is only a nonbreeding visitor to the far north.
It was likely the most numerous heron in North America until the cattle egret arrived to the continent in the 1950s. While the species' population appears to be on the decline, it remains quite common. The bird is listed as "Threatened" by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Panama City | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Guayaquil | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 8 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 9 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 10 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gatorland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Florida Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Tricolored Heron sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 9,804 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 279 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Tricolored Heron in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against about 50% in May and October, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tricolored Heron sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 45
Of the 45 parks where we can rate Tricolored Heron sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 2nd at about 70%. The best odds are in Caroni Swamp (Trinidad and Tobago, about 80%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Egretta
The closest relatives of the Tricolored Heron that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (genus Egretta, Small Egrets and Herons) are Snowy Egret (about 70%), Little Blue Heron (about 70%) and Reddish Egret (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tricolored Heron is recorded against all the birds logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (9,804 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
