Medium sized heron with medium-long legs, very long neck with a long, extremely thin bill. Alternate Adult: Dark bluish head and neck with shaggy purple feathers at base of neck. Thin stripe of white and brown from chin and throat down central neck. Bluish wings, back and tail with flat brownish plumes hanging from lower back. Contrasting white belly. Red eye, blue lores, and several long white occipital plumes. Basal two-thirds of the bill blue, outer third blackish. Legs straw-colored. Basic Adult: similar to alternate, but yellow lores and mostly yellow bill. Juvenile: yellow eye and bill. Brownish-red head, neck, wing and upper back. Grayish lower back and tail. White stripe from chin down central neck. White belly. Greenish-yellow legs.

Length: 66 (cm) Wingspan: 91 (cm)

Voice:

Groaning or croaking.

Habitat:

Shallow fresh or salt water.

Behavior:

Forages actively, often chasing prey. Mixed nesting and roosting colonies. Like bitterns, may stand tall and point bill skyward in attempt of camouflaging.

Feeding:

Diet consists of fish, amphibians, insects and crustaceans.