A tricolored heron shows off its breeding plumage during the mating and nesting season at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida. Photo: Ronen Tivony

On March 7, 2026, one of my images was selected for The Times’ “News in Pictures,” a daily edit where Times picture editors highlight standout photography from around the world. The published frame shows a tricolored heron in peak breeding plumage during mating and nesting season at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida, one of South Florida’s most productive bird photography locations.

Wakodahatchee Wetlands: A Florida Bird Photography Hotspot

Located in Delray Beach, Wakodahatchee Wetlands is a reclaimed water treatment site turned into a thriving habitat that now attracts over 178 bird species, including tricolored herons, great blue herons, egrets, spoonbills, wood storks, and limpkins. Its elevated boardwalk loops through the wetlands, offering photographers clear sightlines to active rookeries, feeding grounds, and roosting sites from sunrise to sunset.

Tricolored Heron Breeding Behavior

Tricolored herons (Egretta tricolor) breed in colonies where males defend nests with upright postures, neck stretches, wing-spreading, and twig shaking. Courtship starts with sky-pointing displays: bill upward, plumes erect, followed by head dips, neck snaps, and bill clappering to attract females.

Paired males circle territories with wingbeats, present twigs, and preen together; they stay monogamous for the season while incubating 3-5 pale green eggs for 21-24 days. Peak displays occur at dawn/dusk in Wakodahatchee Wetlands, ideal boardwalk photography timing during Florida tricolored heron breeding season.

About Ronen Tivony: Florida Wildlife Photography Expert

I am an award-winning wildlife photojournalist, Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, and Certified Florida Master Naturalist based in Florida. My work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BBC, TIME, CNN, Smithsonian, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The New Yorker, National Geographic, The Times and many more. 

After decades in news photojournalism, I now focus on leading wildlife photography workshops and tours across Florida, including Wakodahatchee Wetlands and other surrounding hotspots. In the field, I combine camera technique, behavior prediction, and ecological context to help photographers create storytelling images