The little Blue heron (Egretta caerulea) has a slate-grey body and a purple-blue head and neck. The eyes are yellow and the bill is dark grey with a black tip. The legs and feet are dark. It breeds in the Gulf states of the US, through Central America and the Caribbean south to Peru and Uruguay. The Little Blue Heron largely escaped serious population declines from feather hunting for the millinery trade because it does not bear long showy plumes in breeding adult plumage. A row of built-in “teeth” along the Little Blue Heron’s middle toe serves as a grooming comb. The bird uses this handy tool to scratch its head, neck, and throat.
