2025—Courting Beak

My Sibley Birds app notes that the beaks of Tricolored Herons turn blue when they’re in breeding plumage but it also notes that when the beak is this electric blue, it indicates courtship color in an adult. That difference is not described in detail but my guess is that the electric blue means that this particular Tricolored Heron is still working on attracting a mate and so its beak color is enhanced. I did notice that while some of the Tricolored Herons at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Florida had blue beaks, only a few sported such an intense blue.