Rufescent tiger-heron

Tigrisoma lineatum

Photo by Alejandro Tabini (Birding Peru)

Common name:

rufescent tiger-heron (en); socó-boi (pt); onoré rayé (fr); hocó colorado (es); marmorreiher (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Ciconiiformes

Family Ardeidae

Range:

These birds are found from southern Guatemala down to Ecuador, Brazil, northern Uruguay and north-eastern Argentina.

Size:

They are 66-76 cm long and weigh 800-900 g.

Habitat:

Rufescent tiger-herons are found in a wide range of inland wetlands, including bogs, marshes, rivers, lakes, swamps, fens and peatlands, but also in mangroves and swamp forests. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m.

Diet:

They mostly forage at dusk and night, feeding on fishes, amphibians, reptiles and insects including grasshoppers, water beetles and dragonfly larvae.

Breeding:

Rufescent tiger-herons build solitary nests in tall trees, consisting of large platforms of sticks. There the female lays 2-3 eggs which she incubates alone for 31-34 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 4-5 weeks after hatching.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

This species has an extremely large breeding range and is described as common, at least in Brazil. The population trend is difficult to determine because of uncertainty over the impacts of habitat modification on population sizes, but overall it is not considered threatened at present.