Species guide
Striated Heron: how to recognise it
A bird of North America and South America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Bill Levine · CC BY · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Butorides striata
- Family
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Size
- About 40–48 cm
- Habitat
- Mangroves, shores and ponds
- Found in
- North America and South America
The key marks
A small, dark heron with a black cap, a grey back and short yellow legs.
Voice
A sharp “kyow” when flushed.
Good to know
It is a tool user: it drops bait such as bread, insects or feathers on the water to lure fish.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in mangroves, shores and ponds. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.