Boat-billed Heron

Cochlearius cochlearius (Linnaeus, 1766)

Boat-billed Heron, Cochlearius cochlearius, is a heron of Middle America and South America, ranging from west Mexico to north and central South America, including ne Argentina. It is a member of Ardeidae and is the only species in Cochlearius. Its broad, scoop-like bill is the feature that sets it apart. It lives in mangrove swamps, seasonal lagoons and estuaries, and breeds in mangroves. Breeding takes place in the rainy season, usually in colonies, with two to four bluish-white eggs laid in a twig nest. It was described by Linnaeus in 1766.

Order

Pelecaniformes

Family

Ardeidae — Herons, Bitterns

Breeding range

Middle America, South America: wc Mexico to ne Argentina