In nature things aren’t always as they appear. Harmless Milk Snakes share color scheme and similarities in pattern with deadly Coral Snakes. An American Bald Eagle will not get its distinctive with head and tail feathers until it reaches two-years of age. Male birds display brighter colors duing the mating season than the rest of the year. Juviniles may look significantly different than adults, harmless creature mimmick deadly ones, color and intensity changes with season, sometimes you have to look a little closer to recognize what you’re really seeing. For example, check-out the photo below. A fun little excercise for the newer birders and naturalists that might be reading this blog. Do you know what kind of bird it is?

What did you guess? A Snowy Egret… Great Egret… something else? Look closely. The leg color eliminates the possibility of it being a Snowy Egret, right? Check-out the bill. It’s coloring is the key to identifying this bird. Here’s another view of the same bird:

Did you it figure it out? Here’s an image of an adult of the species. The photos above are of a Little Blue Heron juvinile. If you guessed wrong, don’t feel too bad. From a distance I always think “Snowy!” until I get close enough to get a better look. The size, the build and the white feathers just screams “I’m a Snowy Egret” until you get close enough to check some fo the details.

I hope you enjoyed this little excercise. Why not leave a comment and tell me what you think?