The Tricolored Heron is slimmer over all than the Little Blue Heron. The Little Blue Heron lacks the white underparts or "bermuda shorts" of the Tricolored Heron. Note the longer slimmer bill with a yellow base of the Tricolored Heron. The coloring of the head and neck is chestnut, not the maroon of the Little Blue Heron.
Look for the Tricolored Heron at Anahuac NWR, Attwater NWR, Brazos Bend SP, Brazoria NWR, and San Bernard NWR
A breeding range map is available form the Breeding Bird Survey
A winter range map is available from the Christmas Bird Count