Heron/Egret Identification?

Any help with identifying this bird as I can't seem to find it in my Nat Geo - Complete Birds of North America Book?
Picture taken at Jamaica Bay, New York - Early June 2012

I can't find anything looking like this bird, perhaps it is a hybrid.

bongorob said:

I can't find anything looking like this bird, perhaps it is a hybrid.

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The closest I can get is to guess its some weird morph of a Tricoloured Heron, but it seems too small to be one. This picture off the internet kinda looks similar -

Certainly be interesting if it was indeed a hybrid!

Here's a thought:
Does Cattle Egret have a dark morph? Sibley Guides

Though the coloration strongly suggests tricolored heron here, it just looks too small. Zooplantman's cattle egret is an interesting suggestion, though cattle egrets very rarely are found in water like other herons. My guess is some sort of transition plumage of the little blue heron, between its white juvenile form and its purplish-blue adult form. I'd ask some of the big New York birders if I were you.

Heron/Egret identification

Proportions of this bird are wrong for Cattle Egret -- too long-necked & 'leggy'.

I would say TCH. When I saw my first TCH, I was surprised at how much smaller they were than the Great-Blue Heron. It's about the size of a Snowy Egret.

tri-coloured heron for me too

I agree with tri-colored heron (although I'm not going to add an extra "u" to it )

Ituri said:

I agree with tri-colored heron (although I'm not going to add an extra "u" to it )

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it's not my fault you can't spell

extra question: any idea what the little waders to the right of the heron (just to the left of the Canada geese) might be (the stint-y sort of things)?