LOUISIANA HEKON. 



51 



Louisiana Heron. Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis (Gosse). 



The Louisiana heron, as a whole, ranges from the Gulf States and 

 Mexico south to northern South America. It has been separated into 

 two subspecies, of which the northern, ruficollis, extends north to 

 North Carolina, Texas, and central Mexico, and south throughout 

 the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and Middle America to Ecuador 

 and Venezuela. 



The principal breeding range of the Louisiana heron in the United 

 States is found in Florida and along the Gulf coast to Texas. On 

 the Atlantic coast it is common north to Charleston, S. C. (Wayne), 

 and in Audubon's time it was considered abundant on the coast of 



Fig. 17. — Louisiana heron (Hydranassa tricolor ruficollis). 



North Carolina, where it was still not uncommon near Beaufort in 

 1898 (Pearson), and nested commonly near Orton, Brunswick County, 

 in 1911 (Brimley). This seems to be the northern limit of the 

 breeding range. 



In the Mississippi Valley it has nested north to Rodney, Miss. 

 (Mabbett) ; and Texarkana, Tex. (Oberholser). It seldom wanders 

 far north of its breeding ground, but a few have been noted at Cobb 

 Island, Va. (Ridgway) ; Patchogue, N. Y., the summer of 1836 (Gi- 

 raud) ; Sand Ridge, Clark County, Mo., April 13, 1890 (Currier) ; 

 near Hanna, Ind., June 26, 1876 (Nelson) ; Stockton, Tex. (Dres- 

 ser) ; and Terlingua, Tex. (Oberholser). 



