The Tricolored Heron (*Egretta tricolor*) is a slender, medium-sized heron with a distinctive dark blue-gray back, neck, and wings contrasted sharply with a white belly and a white stripe running down the front of its long neck, along with reddish-purple neck plumage during breeding season and elegant head plumes; found along coastal marshes, mangroves, and shallow wetlands from the southeastern United States through Central America and into South America, it is known for its highly active, distinctive foraging style—running, hopping, and darting through shallow water with wings sometimes spread to create shade and reduce glare while hunting small fish, crustaceans, and aquatic insects.