Please place cache back up on top of branch to prevent it from being muggled. This cache is part of a series of caches on the Great Florida Birding Trail for my Girl Scout Gold Award project. The purpose is to teach people about the birds native to the area so they can learn more about the birds and how to protect them and their environment.
This cache is located at the Chain of Lakes Park, located at 2300 Truman Scarborough Way, Titusville, FL 32796, and is open 24 hours. The park is pretty big so I suggest you bring a bike. There are a lot tree knees around this cache, so be carful not to trip.
Tricolored Heron
Characteristics
- A medium-sized, delicate and slim heron with a long, daggerlike bill
- Mix of blue-gray, lavender, and white
- Unlike other dark herons, they have a white belly
Behavior
- Forages alone or at the edge of groups of mixed wading birds
- Slowly stalks fish or pirouettes with sharp stops and turns with wings flapping
- Flies with head drawn in and feet trailing behind
Conservation Status
- Despite some reported local declines, still very common in parts of southeast
- Has expanded range northward
Habitat
- Marshes, swamps, streams, shores. Mainly in waters of coastal lowlands
- Nests in colonies in trees, mangroves, or scrub near water
Interesting Facts
- Follow behind other large birds, snapping up fish that they stir up
- As Tricolored Herons get older they often lunge and snap at their parents when they arrive at the nest with food. To appease the youngsters, parents greet them with bows