HERONS, EGRETS, BITTERNS 75 



2'. Color mainly dark green or slaty and brown, 

 o. Body dark green. 



4. Neck dark chestnut virescens, p, 76. 



4'. Neck light chestnut anthonyi. p. 77. 



3'. Body slaty ; neck cinnamon rufescens, p. 76. 



Subgenus Ardea. 



194. Ardea herodias ii«n Great Blue Heron. 



Adults. — Upper parts bluish gray ; top of head white, bordered by 

 black and with black occipital crest ; shoulders black, striped with white ; 

 under parts heavily streaked with black and white ; thighs and edge of 

 wings cinnamon brown. In breeding season : crest with two or more slender 

 white plumes. Young : whole crown and crest black ; wing coverts without 

 white or rufous spots. Length : 42-50, wing 17.U0-19.8">, biU 4.;j0-(j.2.">, 

 tarsus 6-8. 



Distribution. — North America, except northwest coast, from Hudson 

 Bay and Alaska south to Venezuela. 



Nest. — Usually in tall swamp trees, but sometimes on rocks or the 

 ground, a wide platform of sticks with little lining-. Eggs : 8 to 6, dull 

 greenish blue. 



The blue cranes or great blue herons are common along river 

 banks, lake shores, and marshes all over the United States, and are 

 everywhere known both by their stilted pose as they stand in shallow 

 water watching for fish, and by their heavy flight as they move evenly 

 along with crooked neck and big slowly flapping wings. 



1 94a. A. h. fannini Chapm. Northwest Coast Heron. 



Similar to herodias, but with shorter tarsus and darker plumage, the 

 upper parts being bluish slatj' black instead of bluish gray ; tibiai more 

 feathered. Wing : 17.50, tarsus 5.o8, culmen 5.00. 



Distribution. — Queen Charlotte and Vancouver Islands and coast region 

 of British Columbia. 



Subgenus Herodias. 



196. Ardea egretta Gmel. Egret. 



Plumage always pure white. Adidt in nuptial plumage : scapular plumes 

 of dissected filamentose feathers covering back and reaching well beyond 

 end of tail ; head and neck without crests or long feathers ; feet black, 

 legs yellow ; bill yellow, usually blackish near tip. Post-breeding plumage 

 and i/oun(/ : back Avithout plumes. Length: 87-41, wing 14.10-16.80, bill 

 4.20-4.00" : tarsus 5..-i()-(i.S(>. 



Distribution. — Southern United States and south to Pataponia ; north 

 irregularly to Oregon, Minnesota, and Nova Scotia. 



Nest. — In trees or bushes, near water. Eggs : .1 to 5, pale bluish. 



The egret, one of the mo.st beautiful of our birds, has been almost 

 exterminated for its plumes, wliich are used in millinery as aigrettes. 

 Subsenus Garzetta. 



197. Ardea candidissima (fine!. Snowy Hkkon. 



Plumage always \)uvt' white. Adults in nuptial plumage: .soapulara 

 with long 1)1 limes of dissected filamentose feathei-s reaching beyond tail 

 and recurved at tip; head and throat cre>,tt'd ; feet yellow, legs bhick ; 



