Boat-billed Heron
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| Cochlearius cochlearius Linnaeus, 1766 |
- For other uses of the word, see Boatbill (disambiguation).
The Boat-billed Heron Cochlearius cochlearius - colloquially known as the Boatbill - is an atypical member of the heron family, and was formerly thought to be in a monotypic family, the Cochlearidae.
It lives in mangrove swamps from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil. It is a nocturnal bird, and breeds semi-colonially in mangrove trees, laying 2-4 bluish white eggs in a twig nest.
The Boatbill is about 54 cm long. The adult has a black crown, long crest and upper back.The face, throat and breast are white, and the lower underparts are rufous with black flanks. The wings and lower back are pale grey. The massive broad scoop-like bill, which gives rise to this species' name, is mainly black. Immature birds have mainly brown upperparts and brown-tinged whitish underparts, and lack the crest.
This species feeds on fish, crustaceans and insects. Its calls include a deep croak and a high-pitched pee-pee-pee.
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[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Cochlearius cochlearius. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Hilty, Steven L (2003). Birds of Venezuela. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5.
- ffrench, Richard (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, 2nd edition, Comstock Publishing. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2.
- A guide to the birds of Costa Rica by Stiles and Skutch ISBN 0-8014-9600-4
