Agami Heron
Where and when to see the Agami Heron
DraftOn the Yucatán Peninsula
It lives along shady forest streams and in mangroves, always under cover. Look for it standing still on the bank or a low branch over the water, and move slowly: it is very easy to miss.
Where it’s reported most
We don’t name sites, so as not to disturb a sensitive species.
Data: eBird and other datasets via GBIF.org (CC BY 4.0), 2015–2025 · Base map: Natural Earth
A secretive heron of shaded forest streams and quiet lagoons. It nests in colonies and abandons them readily when the water or the trees around it change.
- Identification
- A heron of shady forest streams with a chestnut neck and belly, dark glossy green wings and a very long, thin bill. Adults wear silvery-blue lacy plumes on the neck. Young birds are browner and lack the plumes.
- Voice
- Usually silent. Pairs and family groups make low snoring or rattling sounds, and it rattles when disturbed.
What the photo doesn’t show
DraftPlumes that glow in the shade
Pale blue plumes on the sides of its neck seem to glow in the dim light under the trees. Birds of the World calls it one of the most brilliant herons there is. 1,2
Patience and a dagger
It can stand without moving for a long time on the bank of a narrow creek, then spear a passing fish. Its bill is about 15 cm long, very long for a heron its size, so it can strike from farther away. 1,3
The northernmost colony
Very few of its nesting colonies are known anywhere. In 2017 researchers reported one in Mexico with about 170 nests, the farthest north the species is known to breed. 1,4
Tied to the forest
BirdLife suspects it is declining moderately fast, because deforestation where it lives is speeding up. 5
Sources
- Birds of the World (Cornell Lab): Agami Heron (opens in a new tab)
- eBird: Agami Heron (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia: Agami heron (opens in a new tab)
- Biota Colombiana 20(1): 126-131 (2019) (opens in a new tab)
- BirdLife International, Data Zone: Agami Heron (opens in a new tab)
- DOF, 14/11/2019: NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, Anexo III (opens in a new tab)
Map and months: 34 records from 2015–2025 from eBird, iNaturalist, and others, via GBIF.org (CC BY 4.0), in 0.1° squares (about 10 km). eBird: doi.org/10.15468/aomfnb.
A blank square: few or no reports, not necessarily absent.
Tell us where, or ask how to find one.
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