The Story
I photographed this Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) at Playa El Diablo, near La Macarena, Meta, Colombia, in February 2021. Its range covers much of the Americas, from the United States to northern South America, and it uses both saltwater and freshwater habitats. Adults nest in trees, in colonies with other bird species, and the young need little attention from their parents after about nineteen days. Its population is declining, and exposure to heavy metals has been found to harm young birds. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I made this frame with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender, at 1/500 sec, f/16, ISO 12800. La Macarena National Park was created by decree on September 1, 1989, and spreads across five municipalities of southern Meta.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) belongs to the family Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2025), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List
