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Nature Field Guide

Wetlands

Explore wildlife, plants and trees. Learn what to look for and where to find them.

All Nature

26 profiles

Nature Field Guide

American Crocodile

Spanish name
Cocodrilo americano
Scientific name
Crocodylus acutus
Reptiles Estuary & Mangroves · Freshwater · Rivers & Streams · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “It blends into the riverbank so well.”

Tati: “We can observe from here with our guide. We don’t need to move closer.”

Identification

Key Features of the American Crocodile

  • A long snout and narrow head.

  • An olive-brown adult body with a long, strong tail.

  • Much of the body may be concealed in water or beside a bank.

Habitat & range

Rivers, estuaries, mangrove channels and other aquatic habitats. Observe only from a guide-approved boat or designated viewing place.

Seasonal Calendar

Egg-laying

General species biology; local schedule unverified

Apr, May

General species reference: April–May egg-laying and about 9–10 weeks of incubation. Tamarindo-specific nesting dates have not been verified. Never approach nests.

Event source ↗

Conservation & care

Never feed, approach or provoke crocodiles. Stay in the boat, keep hands inside, and follow local signs and guide instructions. Keep children and pets away from water edges.

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Nature Field Guide

Anhinga

Spanish name
Aninga o pato aguja
Scientific name
Anhinga anhinga
Birds · Coastal Birds · Wetland Birds Freshwater · Rivers & Streams · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

A long neck rises above the water like a question mark. Pico waits while Tati looks for the rest of the bird.

Identification

Key Features of the Anhinga

  • Very long slender neck

  • Straight pointed bill

  • Long tail and pale wing markings

  • Often rests with wings spread

Habitat & range

Scan sheltered freshwater wetlands and wooded lagoon margins for swimming birds or a resting bird on a branch. Observe from a permitted viewpoint.

Conservation & care

Give feeding and resting birds space. If a bird stops feeding, repeatedly looks at you or moves away, increase your distance. Keep dogs away from flocks, avoid playback and feeding, and leave nests and natural shoreline debris undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

Bare-throated Tiger-Heron

Spanish name
Garza tigre cuellinuda
Scientific name
Tigrisoma mexicanum
Birds · Coastal Birds · Herons & Egrets Estuary & Mangroves · Rivers & Streams · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico wonders where the tiger is hiding. Tati points to the fine patterns on a very watchful heron.

Identification

Key Features of the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron

  • Bare yellow throat patch

  • Adult finely barred neck and body

  • Gray cheeks and greenish legs

  • Young birds have bold brown bands

Habitat & range

Scan shallow water, quiet mangrove channels and vegetated wetland margins from an established viewpoint. Follow a local guide’s directions around estuaries.

Conservation & care

Give feeding and resting birds space. If a bird stops feeding, repeatedly looks at you or moves away, increase your distance. Keep dogs away from flocks, avoid playback and feeding, and leave nests and natural shoreline debris undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

Black Wood Turtle

Spanish name
Tortuga negra
Scientific name
Rhinoclemmys funerea
Reptiles Freshwater · Rivers & Streams · Tropical Rainforest · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico and Tati invite you to learn about the black wood turtle. Draw the major shell scutes from a photograph. Compare the outline with the painted wood turtle.

Identification

Key Features of the Black Wood Turtle

  • Dark shell and dark head.

  • Feet adapted to life around freshwater.

  • A hard shell divided into visible scutes.

Habitat & range

Humid lowland freshwater habitats such as streams, ponds and swamp forest, particularly Caribbean drainage areas.

Conservation & care

Watch wildlife with an adult from a safe path. Do not touch, feed, capture or move reptiles, and keep pets away. Leave eggs, shelters and vegetation undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Spanish name
Martinete coroninegro
Scientific name
Nycticorax nycticorax
Birds Estuary & Mangroves · Rivers & Streams · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “This heron looks shorter and rounder than the others!”

Tati: “It may be resting now and feeding later.”

Identification

Key Features of the Black-crowned Night-Heron

  • Stocky body and short-looking neck.

  • Adult: black crown and back, gray wings.

  • Young: brown plumage with pale spots.

Habitat & range

Wetland and mangrove populations include the Tempisque and Gulf of Nicoya landscape and local Caribbean lowlands. Resident birds and seasonal visitors both occur.

Conservation & care

Stay on authorized trails or viewing routes. Give birds space, keep voices low and leave nests undisturbed. Observe without bait, feeding or recorded calls.

Threats & pressures

Wetland drainage, development and contaminated runoff can degrade habitat and water quality.

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Nature Field Guide

Black-necked Stilt

Spanish name
Cigüeñuela cuellinegra
Scientific name
Himantopus mexicanus
Birds · Coastal Birds · Shorebirds Estuary & Mangroves · Sand & Mud Flats · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Those pink legs look almost too long for Pico’s page. Tati turns the journal upright to draw the whole bird.

Identification

Key Features of the Black-necked Stilt

  • Very long pink legs

  • Thin straight black bill

  • White underparts with dark back and hindneck

Habitat & range

Scan exposed shoreline feeding areas and nearby resting places with binoculars. The tide changes which flats are available; remain on a safe established route.

Conservation & care

Give feeding and resting birds space. If a bird stops feeding, repeatedly looks at you or moves away, increase your distance. Keep dogs away from flocks, avoid playback and feeding, and leave nests and natural shoreline debris undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

Boat-billed Heron

Spanish name
Chocuaco o picocuchara
Scientific name
Cochlearius cochlearius
Birds · Coastal Birds · Herons & Egrets Estuary & Mangroves · Rivers & Streams · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

That broad bill looks unlike the pointed bills Pico has drawn. Tati adds a new shape to the explorer journal.

Identification

Key Features of the Boat-billed Heron

  • Very broad boat-shaped bill

  • Large dark eyes and black crown

  • Stocky body with gray back

Habitat & range

Scan shallow water, quiet mangrove channels and vegetated wetland margins from an established viewpoint. Follow a local guide’s directions around estuaries.

Conservation & care

Give feeding and resting birds space. If a bird stops feeding, repeatedly looks at you or moves away, increase your distance. Keep dogs away from flocks, avoid playback and feeding, and leave nests and natural shoreline debris undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Spanish name
Pijije canelo
Scientific name
Dendrocygna bicolor
Birds Farms & Cultivated Land · Freshwater · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “That duck has such a long neck!”

Tati: “Let’s compare its colors with the other ducks.”

Identification

Key Features of the Fulvous Whistling-Duck

  • Warm caramel-brown neck and underparts.

  • Dark bill, long neck and long legs.

  • Pale flank markings on a darker body.

Habitat & range

Documented in the Tempisque and Palo Verde wetland landscape. Freshwater marshes, shallow flooded areas and rice-growing wetlands are relevant habitats.

Conservation & care

Stay on authorized trails or viewing routes. Give birds space, keep voices low and leave nests undisturbed. Observe without bait, feeding or recorded calls.

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Nature Field Guide

Great Blue Heron

Spanish name
Garzón azulado
Scientific name
Ardea herodias
Birds · Coastal Birds · Herons & Egrets Estuary & Mangroves · Freshwater · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

A tall, patient hunter can make the whole shoreline feel still. Pico counts its slow steps while Tati watches its folded neck.

Identification

Key Features of the Great Blue Heron

  • Large blue-gray body

  • Long legs and a heavy yellowish bill

  • Pale head with a dark stripe above the eye

Habitat & range

Scan shallow water, quiet mangrove channels and vegetated wetland margins from an established viewpoint. Follow a local guide’s directions around estuaries.

Conservation & care

Give feeding and resting birds space. If a bird stops feeding, repeatedly looks at you or moves away, increase your distance. Keep dogs away from flocks, avoid playback and feeding, and leave nests and natural shoreline debris undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

Great Egret

Spanish name
Garceta grande
Scientific name
Ardea alba
Birds · Coastal Birds · Herons & Egrets Estuary & Mangroves · Freshwater · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico calls it a bright white shape in the green. Tati checks the bill and feet before giving it a name.

Identification

Key Features of the Great Egret

  • White plumage and long slender neck

  • Yellow bill

  • Black legs and dark feet

Habitat & range

Scan shallow water, quiet mangrove channels and vegetated wetland margins from an established viewpoint. Follow a local guide’s directions around estuaries.

Conservation & care

Give feeding and resting birds space. If a bird stops feeding, repeatedly looks at you or moves away, increase your distance. Keep dogs away from flocks, avoid playback and feeding, and leave nests and natural shoreline debris undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

Great Kiskadee

Spanish name
Bienteveo grande
Scientific name
Pitangus sulphuratus
Birds Estuary & Mangroves · Gardens · Open Woodland · Rivers & Streams · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “It sounds like it is calling its own name!”

Tati: “Let’s also check its bold eyebrow and strong bill.”

Identification

Key Features of the Great Kiskadee

  • Black-and-white head pattern

  • Bright yellow belly

  • Heavy bill and reddish-brown wings

Habitat & range

Open wooded country and settled areas, often near water, on both slopes, mainly below about 1500 m. Less frequent in some southern Pacific areas; not a high-mountain specialist.

Conservation & care

Observe quietly from trails or established viewing areas. Give nests, roosts and feeding birds space. Do not handle, chase or lure birds with playback. Keep pets away from wildlife.

Threats & pressures

Protect native vegetation, reduce collision hazards around glass and keep cats away from birds. These are practical prevention priorities, not a claim of a measured decline at a specific Costa Rican site.

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Nature Field Guide

Green Heron

Spanish name
Garcilla verde
Scientific name
Butorides virescens
Birds · Coastal Birds · Herons & Egrets Estuary & Mangroves · Rivers & Streams · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

A small hunched shape almost disappears among the roots. Pico and Tati learn that patient looking beats noisy searching.

Identification

Key Features of the Green Heron

  • Small hunched silhouette

  • Greenish back and chestnut neck

  • Straight pointed bill and yellowish legs

Habitat & range

Scan shallow water, quiet mangrove channels and vegetated wetland margins from an established viewpoint. Follow a local guide’s directions around estuaries.

Conservation & care

Give feeding and resting birds space. If a bird stops feeding, repeatedly looks at you or moves away, increase your distance. Keep dogs away from flocks, avoid playback and feeding, and leave nests and natural shoreline debris undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

Jabiru

Spanish name
Jabirú / Galán sin ventura
Scientific name
Jabiru mycteria
Birds Freshwater · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “That bird is standing so tall in the wetland!”

Tati: “Its shape tells us more than size alone.”

Identification

Key Features of the Jabiru

  • Large white body with black bare head and neck.

  • Red band at the lower neck.

  • Massive dark bill and very long legs.

Habitat & range

The Tempisque basin is the principal nesting landscape. Cano Negro and Rio Frio receive seasonal visitors; not all wetlands in either region support Jabirus.

Conservation & care

Stay on authorized trails or viewing routes. Give birds space, keep voices low and leave nests undisturbed. Observe without bait, feeding or recorded calls.

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Nature Field Guide

Little Blue Heron

Spanish name
Garceta azul
Scientific name
Egretta caerulea
Birds · Coastal Birds · Herons & Egrets Estuary & Mangroves · Freshwater · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico expects every Little Blue Heron to be blue. Tati discovers that young birds tell a different color story.

Identification

Key Features of the Little Blue Heron

  • Adult slate-blue body and purplish neck

  • Two-toned bill with a dark tip

  • Juveniles are white, unlike the illustrated adult

Habitat & range

Scan shallow water, quiet mangrove channels and vegetated wetland margins from an established viewpoint. Follow a local guide’s directions around estuaries.

Conservation & care

Give feeding and resting birds space. If a bird stops feeding, repeatedly looks at you or moves away, increase your distance. Keep dogs away from flocks, avoid playback and feeding, and leave nests and natural shoreline debris undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

Rhombic Cat-eyed Snake

Spanish name
Culebra ojo de gato / Escombrera
Scientific name
Leptodeira rhombifera
Reptiles Forest Edge · Tropical Dry Forest · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “What clues help us recognize this reptile?”

Tati: “Let’s notice its shape, markings and habitat from a respectful distance.”

Identification

Key Features of the Rhombic Cat-eyed Snake

  • Large eyes

  • Dark rhombic or saddle-shaped back blotches

  • Slender body and long tail

Habitat & range

Lowland and foothill habitats, with published Costa Rican observations in Guanacaste and the Pacific landscape.

Conservation & care

Observe only from a distance with an adult or qualified guide. Do not touch, catch, corner or attempt to move any snake. Step back and tell your adult; keep children and pets away. Do not use colors, head shape or pupil shape to decide a snake is safe.

Threats & pressures

Protect habitat connections and natural shelters. Avoid road mortality, collection and deliberate killing. Leave reptiles in their habitat rather than keeping or relocating them.

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Nature Field Guide

Roseate Spoonbill

Spanish name
Espátula rosada
Scientific name
Platalea ajaja
Birds Estuary & Mangroves · Sand & Mud Flats · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “Why does its bill widen at the end?”

Tati: “Let’s watch how it moves through the water.”

Identification

Key Features of the Roseate Spoonbill

  • Pink plumage, often paler in young birds.

  • Long bill with a broad, flattened spoon tip.

  • Side-to-side bill sweeping in shallow water.

Habitat & range

Shallow wetlands around Tempisque, Rio Frio and the Gulf of Nicoya, with smaller numbers elsewhere along the Pacific coast. Rare inland or Caribbean records are not used as core regional tags.

Conservation & care

Stay on authorized trails or viewing routes. Give birds space, keep voices low and leave nests undisturbed. Observe without bait, feeding or recorded calls.

Threats & pressures

Altered wetland water conditions can affect feeding habitat. Disturbance at nesting colonies can cause abandonment; keep boats and observers at a respectful distance.

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Nature Field Guide

Snowy Egret

Spanish name
Garceta patiamarilla
Scientific name
Egretta thula
Birds · Coastal Birds · Herons & Egrets Estuary & Mangroves · Sand & Mud Flats · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Those yellow feet catch Pico’s attention. Tati waits to see whether the bird uses them while feeding.

Identification

Key Features of the Snowy Egret

  • White body and slim black bill

  • Black legs with yellow feet

  • Often active in shallow water

Habitat & range

Scan shallow water, quiet mangrove channels and vegetated wetland margins from an established viewpoint. Follow a local guide’s directions around estuaries.

Conservation & care

Give feeding and resting birds space. If a bird stops feeding, repeatedly looks at you or moves away, increase your distance. Keep dogs away from flocks, avoid playback and feeding, and leave nests and natural shoreline debris undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

South American Snapping Turtle

Spanish name
Tortuga lagarto / Tortuga mordedora
Scientific name
Chelydra acutirostris
Reptiles Freshwater · Rivers & Streams · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “What clues help us recognize this reptile?”

Tati: “Let’s notice its shape, markings and habitat from a respectful distance.”

Identification

Key Features of the South American Snapping Turtle

  • Large powerful head

  • Long tail with raised scales

  • Rough shell and strong clawed limbs

Habitat & range

Freshwater wetlands and rivers in Costa Rican lowlands, on both slopes where suitable habitat remains.

Conservation & care

Observe from a safe distance with an adult. Keep hands and pets away from the head and water’s edge. Do not lift, move, feed or handle a snapping turtle, and never lift any turtle by its tail.

Threats & pressures

Protect habitat connections and natural shelters. Avoid road mortality, collection and deliberate killing. Leave reptiles in their habitat rather than keeping or relocating them.

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Nature Field Guide

Speckled Racer

Spanish name
Corredora moteada
Scientific name
Drymobius margaritiferus
Reptiles Forest Edge · Tropical Dry Forest · Tropical Rainforest · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “What can we learn from this reptile’s shape?”

Tati: “Let’s notice its markings and habitat while leaving it plenty of space.”

Identification

Key Features of the Speckled Racer

  • Dark body with many pale scale centers

  • Long tail and slender build

  • Speckled rather than broadly banded pattern

Habitat & range

Lowland and foothill habitats on both slopes, including northwestern and western Pacific areas and humid Caribbean landscapes.

Conservation & care

Observe only from a distance with an adult or qualified guide. Never touch, catch, feed, corner or move any snake. Keep children and pets away. Colors, head shape and pupil shape must never be used to decide a snake is safe.

Threats & pressures

Protect natural shelters and connected habitat. Avoid collection, unnecessary clearing and deliberate killing. Leave wildlife in its habitat and support responsible observation.

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Nature Field Guide

Spectacled Caiman

Spanish name
Caimán de anteojos
Scientific name
Caiman crocodilus
Reptiles Estuary & Mangroves · Freshwater · Rivers & Streams · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico and Tati invite you to learn about the spectacled caiman. Compare verified caiman and American crocodile photographs. Draw the eye ridge without treating it as a field safety test.

Identification

Key Features of the Spectacled Caiman

  • Bony ridge between the eyes.

  • Armored back and muscular tail.

  • Broad crocodilian head and body.

Habitat & range

Suitable lowland freshwater wetlands, rivers and ponds in Costa Rica.

Conservation & care

Observe only from a guide-approved viewing location. Stay away from water edges, never swim or wade where crocodilians may occur, and never feed or approach one. Keep children and pets well away from banks.

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Nature Field Guide

Tricolored Heron

Spanish name
Garceta tricolor
Scientific name
Egretta tricolor
Birds · Coastal Birds · Herons & Egrets Estuary & Mangroves · Sand & Mud Flats · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico follows a quick turn in the shallows. Tati notices the white belly beneath the darker neck.

Identification

Key Features of the Tricolored Heron

  • Dark blue-gray upperparts

  • White belly and pale front-neck stripe

  • Long slim bill and lively feeding movements

Habitat & range

Scan shallow water, quiet mangrove channels and vegetated wetland margins from an established viewpoint. Follow a local guide’s directions around estuaries.

Conservation & care

Give feeding and resting birds space. If a bird stops feeding, repeatedly looks at you or moves away, increase your distance. Keep dogs away from flocks, avoid playback and feeding, and leave nests and natural shoreline debris undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

West Indian Manatee

Spanish name
Manatí del Caribe
Scientific name
Trichechus manatus
Mammals Estuary & Mangroves · Freshwater · Rivers & Streams · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

The West Indian manatee is a large aquatic mammal with a rounded paddle-shaped tail and a whiskered muzzle.

Vulnerable

Identification

Key Features of the West Indian Manatee

  • Large rounded body with gray skin.

  • Blunt whiskered muzzle and two front flippers.

  • Broad rounded paddle tail, without a dolphin's split flukes or dorsal fin.

Habitat & range

Caribbean waterways and wetlands, including Tortuguero.

Conservation & care

Use a responsible local wildlife operator and follow site rules. Give aquatic mammals room to feed, rest and travel. Do not feed, touch, chase or enter the water to approach them. Keep waste and fishing line out of waterways.

Conservation assessment

Global species-level IUCN category reported by Mammal Diversity Database, checked October 2026. Subspecies and national categories can differ.

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Nature Field Guide

White Ibis

Spanish name
Ibis blanco
Scientific name
Eudocimus albus
Birds Estuary & Mangroves · Sand & Mud Flats · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “Its bill curves down like a little hook.”

Tati: “I wonder what we can learn by watching how it searches for food.”

Identification

Key Features of the White Ibis

  • A long, downward-curving bill.

  • Adults have white plumage with black wing tips.

  • Reddish legs and bill on adults; younger birds are brown and white.

Habitat & range

Strongest around the Tempisque basin and Gulf of Nicoya, with seasonal occurrence in Rio Frio and local Pacific wetlands. Rare scattered records elsewhere are not used to populate every region.

Conservation & care

Keep enough distance that birds continue their natural activity. Stay out of nesting and roosting areas.

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Nature Field Guide

White-lipped Mud Turtle

Spanish name
Tortuga de barro de labios blancos
Scientific name
Kinosternon leucostomum
Reptiles Freshwater · Rivers & Streams · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico and Tati invite you to learn about the white-lipped mud turtle. Study a verified photo and draw the pale mouth edge. Describe how a turtle can remain hidden without disturbing its shelter.

Identification

Key Features of the White-lipped Mud Turtle

  • Pale markings around the mouth.

  • Small, domed brownish shell.

  • Short legs and a relatively large head.

Habitat & range

Suitable ponds, slow freshwater and damp lowland habitats.

Conservation & care

Watch wildlife with an adult from a safe path. Do not touch, feed, capture or move reptiles, and keep pets away. Leave eggs, shelters and vegetation undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

Wood Stork

Spanish name
Cigüeñón
Scientific name
Mycteria americana
Birds · Coastal Birds · Wetland Birds Estuary & Mangroves · Freshwater · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico spots a tall white bird with a very different head. Tati checks its heavy bill before comparing it with the egrets.

Identification

Key Features of the Wood Stork

  • White body with black flight feathers

  • Bare dark adult head

  • Heavy slightly curved bill

  • Long legs

Habitat & range

Look across sheltered wetlands, lagoons and river margins from permitted trails or a responsible guided boat trip.

Conservation & care

Give feeding and resting birds space. If a bird stops feeding, repeatedly looks at you or moves away, increase your distance. Keep dogs away from flocks, avoid playback and feeding, and leave nests and natural shoreline debris undisturbed.

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Nature Field Guide

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Spanish name
Martinete cabecipinto
Scientific name
Nyctanassa violacea
Birds · Coastal Birds · Herons & Egrets Estuary & Mangroves · Rocky Shore · Wetlands

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico reads the word night and expects an invisible bird. Tati learns that feeding can also happen in daylight.

Identification

Key Features of the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

  • Adult gray body

  • Dark face with pale cheek and crown

  • Heavy dark bill

  • Juveniles are brown and spotted

Habitat & range

Scan shallow water, quiet mangrove channels and vegetated wetland margins from an established viewpoint. Follow a local guide’s directions around estuaries.

Conservation & care

Give feeding and resting birds space. If a bird stops feeding, repeatedly looks at you or moves away, increase your distance. Keep dogs away from flocks, avoid playback and feeding, and leave nests and natural shoreline debris undisturbed.

View full profile →

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