ABSTRACT: As part of an 11-state inventory in the western United States organized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, we coordinated censuses of 15 species of breeding colonial waterbirds throughout California from 2009 to 2012. Here we describe the status of the five widespread species of colonial ardeids in California during that period, combining the results of surveys from the air, boats, and ground.
Shuford, W. D., J. P. Kelly, T. E. Condeso, D. S. Cooper, K. C. Molina, D. Jongsomjit. 2020. Distribution and abundance of colonial herons and egrets in California, 2009 - 2012. Western Birds 51:190 - 220, 2020; doi 10.21199/WB51.3.2.