Boat-billed Heron
Cochlearius cochlearius
Conservation Status
Least ConcernAves · Pelecaniformes · Ardeidae
About
The boat-billed heron, colloquially known as the boatbill, is an atypical member of the heron family. It is the only member of the genus Cochlearius and was formerly placed in a monotypic family, the Cochleariidae. It lives in mangrove swamps from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil. It is a nocturnal bird, and breeds semicolonially in mangrove trees, laying two to four bluish-white eggs in a twig nest.
Fun Fact
The Boat-billed Heron has an enormous scoop-shaped bill that it uses to snap up prey in a single lightning-fast gulp.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Live in seasonal lagoons and estuaries, and nest in mangroves.
Diet
Feed on small mammals, amphibians, annelids, molluscs, insects, crabs, shrimp such as Penaeus and Macrobrachium, and small fish such as Dormitator latifrons, a species of sleeper goby.
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Human Disturbance