This bird is easily recognizable by it size, color, the black stripe that extends above the eye, and a white foreneck that is streaked with black. Breeding adults have ornate plumes on their head, neck, and back. In flight, the folded neck as well as slow, long wingbeats is a strong indicator that the bird is a heron. This heron is monogamous and usually nests in colonies in the tops of secluded large snags or live trees, picking the tallest available. Courtship and nest building begins shortly after February and the eggs are laid in late February or March.
Clutch size can be one to eight eggs, but averages three or four.
The incubation of these eggs takes about 28 days at which time the hatched young are cared for by both adults. The young may fly by seven weeks but still return to the nest for two to three weeks after that and may continue to be fed by the adults for another week or so. Tall riparian-type trees are needed for perching and roost sites. Also, secluded large snags or groves of live trees are needed for colony nesting. These need to be located within 10 miles of feeding areas.