Laboratório de Tecnologia Educacional BIBLIOTECA DIGITAL               DE CIÊNCIAS

53 cm. It is a beautiful heron with the upper parts grayish blue, the neck and the ventral region brownish yellow. The face is blue. Distribution: Open areas from Colombia to Argentina. Habitat: Unlike other herons it may be found very far from the water, thriving in open fields and only occasionally in wetlands. Diet: Feeds on mollusks, amphibians, lizards and insects, mainly grasshoppers. Hunts on the ground revolving the earth and grass with its beak. Reproduction: The courtship is very complex, beginning with displays of the male on the ground and then in the air. The nest is very simple and is built on tall trees. Lays 2 to 4 bluish grey eggs. Natural history: It is often...

48 cm. The face is grey, the chest cinnamon and the belly black. There is a large white spot in the wings, more evident when flying. The beak and feet are red. Males and females are similar. The immature is grayish brown Distribution: From Texas (U.S.A) to Bolivia and Argentina. Habitat: Lives in lakes, rivers, wetlands and even in mangroves. Diet: Feeds on leaves, small seeds and aquatic invertebrates. Reproduction: The nest is built on the ground or hollow trees. The eggs are white, sometimes greenish or bluish. More than one female may lay eggs in the same nest and sometimes may even lay eggs in other species’s nests such as the white faced whistling duck (Dendrocygna viduata)....

60 a 70 cm. The top of the head, the back and the wings are black and the other parts of the body are mostly grey. The immature is brown and striated. Distribution: All over the world, except from the poles and Australia. Habitat: Slow flowing rivers, lakes, reservoirs and swamps. Diet: Aquatic insects, mollusks, crustaceans, fish, amphibians and reptiles. May also eat carrion and rests of food fallen from other bird’s nests, including dead hatchlings. Reproduction: Breeds in colonies together with other species of herons. The nests are built from 1 to 7m from the ground or water. Lays two or three bluish green or buffy eggs. Natural history: During most of the day it rests...

Physical appearance: 36 cm. The legs are short and yellow. The body is predominantly grey, darker in the back. The top of the head is black. The immature is striated and brownish. Distribution: American Continent, Africa, Asia, Australia and islands in the Pacific. Habitat: Rivers, lakes and mangroves of different sizes. Diet: Aquatic insects, mollusks, amphibians, reptiles and fish. Reproduction: The nest is a platform on the top of tall trees. Lays three eggs. Natural history: Solitary and migratory. There are saw-like structures inside the beak to help holding slippery food. May be eaten by carnivorous fish such as the trahiras (Hoplias sp.) when walking on flooded land....

41,5 cm. Medium size. The feet are webbed. Has a distinctive white mask. The chest and the belly are streaked with cinnamon. The wings are broad and black. The female is slightly larger than the male. Distribution: Tropical South America and Africa. Habitat: Wetlands, lakes, ponds, mostly in shallow water. Diet: It eats buds, seeds, insect larvae, crustaceans and worms. Food is filtered by its specialized beak Reproduction: Builds a nest on the ground in a hidden place. 8 to 14 eggs are laid and incubated by the couple for 27 to 30 days. Male and female take care of the brood. Natural history: Its vocalization is very typical. It is more active at twilight or at night, resting ...

75 cm. Aquatic with narrow beak curved in the tip. The feet are webbed. The body is black and sometimes the throat is yellow. In the breeding season the male has some white feathers in the throat and ear region. The immature is fuliginous. Distribution: From Mexico to Southern South America Habitat: Lives in lakes, swamps and estuaries. Diet: Feeds on fish, even spiny ones. The gastric acids dissolve the spines. Reproduction: The nest is built on tall trees near lakes, sometimes mixing with heron flocks. Natural history: It is an excellent diver. When in flocks may pen fish schools, leading them to shallow water where they catch the fishes in frenzy. When it goes out of the wate...