The Little Blue Heron

"The North American Waterbird Conservation Plan considers Little Blue Herons a species of High Concern owing to declining populations. Habitat loss and human-caused changes in local water dynamics pose the most serious threats to regional populations. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act as well as state wildlife laws protect herons from harassment, killing, or collecting. However, Little Blue Herons that forage at fish hatcheries are vulnerable to illegal shooting; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and some states issue permits to legally shoot them. Like all waterbirds, Little Blue Herons are vulnerable to changes in water quality. Birds that eat prey from flooded agricultural fields and drainage ditches risk contamination by pesticides and heavy metals. Human disturbance has also been shown to harm colonial breeding bird populations, causing adults to abandon nests, eggs and chicks to die, and other impacts. Closing wading-bird colonies to human disturbance during the breeding season can help protect Little Blue Herons." Source: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology [Photo: D.F.G. Hailson]