No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCosta RicaCosta Rica Wildlife: Meet the Bare-Throated Tiger Heron

Costa Rica Wildlife: Meet the Bare-Throated Tiger Heron

The bare-throated tiger heron has stripes all down the back of its long neck, and I have to assume these tiger stripes are the origin of its name. But it has another tiger-like quality. It can roar.

My bird books describe the tiger heron’s voice as ‘a hoarse, raucous howk-howk-howk’ or ‘a rolling, gravelly wowrrh.’ However you describe it, when you startle a bare-throated tiger heron, you’re going to hear a big noise coming out of a big bird.

For my money, the real roars come out of the males during mating season. They perch themselves on a sturdy branch of tree and belt out a ‘hoarse, booming hrrrowwr! horrowr! hrrrowr!’ It’s a little difficult to appreciate in print but you’ll know it when you hear it.

Or at the very least, you’ll know there’s something in a tree making a huge noise. And if that tree is located near a body of water, you might be hearing the roar of the bare-throated tiger heron.

That’s because tiger herons are almost always found in wetland habitats. Along both coasts and throughout the country (where the elevation doesn’t get too high) tiger herons can be found patrolling the mangroves, marshes, riverbanks and even roadside ditches for their prey.

Because sources of water are important locations for placing camera traps, I record a lot of videos of tiger herons. And because they do most of their hunting along the water’s edge, I’ve gotten an intimate look into their feeding habitats.

Surprise of all surprises, they eat a ton of fish, but I’ve also recorded videos of them chowing down on crabs, crayfish, frogs and once, along the Cañas River, I recorded a tiger heron eating a juvenile crocodile.

Of course, tiger herons aren’t the only species attracted to these water sources, so a well-placed camera trap will reveal how tiger herons interact with other species. I can give a few examples. Tiger herons are the bully of the heron family.

If a tiger heron is patrolling the same puddle as a little blue heron or a snowy egret, it’ll claim the best spot at the table with a few quick jabs of the beak.

The tiger heron’s interactions with mammalian species are a little more ‘you leave me alone and I’ll leave you alone.’ I’ve recorded videos of tiger herons sharing space with agoutis, coatis and white-tailed deer.

They generally avoid each other but sometimes the tiger heron will puff out all of its feathers, making itself look big in a threat display. This can have the desired effect of startling off the intruder, but sometimes a coati or deer will be unimpressed and chase the bird off.

Take a closer look at the bare-throated tiger heron for yourself and check out the camera trap video below.

About the Author

Vincent Losasso, founder of Guanacaste Wildlife Monitoring, is a biologist who works with camera traps throughout Costa Rica. Learn more about his projects on facebook or instagram. You can also email him at: vincent@guanacastewildlifemonitoring.com

Trending Now

El Salvador at Center of Controversial U.S.-Venezuela Detainee Exchange

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele received the 10 Americans exchanged on Friday between Washington and Caracas for 252 Venezuelans who had spent four months in...

Starbucks Expands in Guanacaste with New Store Opening in Tamarindo

Starbucks continues to strengthen its presence in Costa Rica with the opening of its second store in the province of Guanacaste, specifically in Tamarindo....

Malcolm-Jamal Warner’s Drowning in Costa Rica Ruled Accidental

The death of American actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner has been confirmed as accidental drowning, according to Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ). Warner, 54, was...

Venezuela Accuses El Salvador of Torturing Deported Migrants From U.S.

Sexual abuse, daily beatings, rotten food: The government of Nicolás Maduro on Monday denounced “torture” against Venezuelan migrants sent by the United States to...

Panama Farmer Receives Land Title After 60-Year Wait at Age 109

A 109-year-old Panamanian farmer has received the land title for the property where he lives and works—six decades after first requesting it from the...

Chiquita Executives Convicted in Colombia for Financing Death Squads

Colombian justice on Wednesday sentenced seven former executives of the multinational banana company Chiquita Brands to more than 11 years in prison and a...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica