The Boat-Billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius) is a somewhat strange member of the family Ardeidae, although it was previously placed in its own family, the Cochlearidae. As you can tell from the above photograph taken at the "Aquatic Bird House" at the Bronx Zoo, the bill of this type of bird is oddly shaped, making it somewhat difficult to place among other living herons.
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The rain finally stopped this afternoon, so I decided to head over to Site A for a 15 minute bioblitz. The lake seemed deserted when I arrived. No other people were interested in climbing around in the mud, and all of the fauna was hiding. Far away, I heard a meadowlark and what sounded like a…
This week we have our first avian reference, a strange genus of heron.
In WoW, Nyctanessa is a level 44 demonology lock from the guild "42". There is only one other toon with the name, a 38 undead lock with the traditional spelling, but three others with the alternative genus name of Nyticorax (…
In theory, conducting a bioblitz was going to be a simple enterprise. I would go to one of my chosen spots, count the organisms as I went along, noting them in my book and, if possible take a photograph. I figured the two places I'd chosen would be relatively barren. In the tall grass prairie (…
tags: Tufted Titmouse, Parus bicolor, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Tufted Titmouse, Parus bicolor, photographed in Manhattan, Kansas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Dave Rintoul, 11 April 2009 [larger view].
Please name at least one field mark that…
But apart from the oversized beak, it's a fairly standard night heron (Nycticoracini).
I remeber when my bird books used to list it as a separate family. Even then it seemed a little over-rated to me.
The boat-billed heron, an oddity indeed! (Even if it is merely a specialised Night-Heron) Believe it or not, I once came across one at a shop in Belgium where birds are sold for aviculture. Eventhough this particular shop (though it's rather big for a shop) has had other oddities (eagle owls, crowned cranes, a Palm Vulture(!), jacanas and rheas amongst others) the boat-billed heron struck me as particularly unusual, if only because I'd never seen one before or seen one since. Its concrete and empty enclosure failed to do it much justice, however. I can only hope it was soon bought and is now residing in more pleasant surroundings.