Here is a colorful boat-billed heron with a peculiar hair style and long, wide beak. They are most easily identified by their wide beak, which is unusual for aquatic birds. They can also be distinguished by their dark drown and rust colored neck and belly. They grow to 50 cm (20 in.). While rafting down the Rio Corobici, you don't know whether to look up above you to find the birds overhead and in the trees, or to watch the shoreline for critters or to watch for crocodiles and caiman in the water.
We always love hearing the howler monkeys in the trees. That is a familiar and welcome sound to hear the alpha male howling at us with his lazy troupe watching us in the trees.
The boat-billed heron is know locally as pico-chuchara, which translates as spoon bill, or chocuaco. The scientific name is cochlearius cochlearius.
My wife and I returned one week ago from a trip to the Lake Como area of Italy, and have posted a few photos from Varenna on our travel photo site: Viva la Voyage!
I was astounded at all the birds I saw in Costa Rica. This one is especially colorful.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shot and great narrative.
ReplyDeleteDarryl and Ruth : )
I like these birds and they sit so silently as you pass by and re not easily spooked
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blue on this interesting bird1
ReplyDeleteI hope to improve my bird photography skills as I persevere with the combination of two interests. I love to see such extremes of bird life in the tropics. I head up to northern Australia tomorrow and expect changes to the colour and size of he birds I encounter.
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