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Cochlearius cochlearius, Photo: Michael Lahanas Cladus: Eukaryota Name Cochlearius cochlearius (Linnaeus, 1766) Synonyms Cochlearius cochlearia (Linnaeus, 1766) Reference Systema Naturae ed.12 p.233 Vernacular names 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, 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 Boatbilled Heron 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,mice,water snakes,eggs, crustaceans, insects and small amphibians. Its calls include a deep croak and a high-pitched pee-pee-pee. ^ BirdLife International (2008). Cochlearius cochlearius. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 3 February 2009. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern. Bibliography Hilty, Steven L (2003). Birds of Venezuela. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5. Source: Wikipedia, Wikispecies: All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License |
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