Whistling Heron (Syrigma sibilatrix) - 12Aug2024 and 06Aug2022

The Whistling Heron is the only species in its genus but it is closely related to the Capped Heron which is another of the sought after herons of South America.  Although they are found on either side of the Amazon Basin in agricultural areas, they are somewhat rare in northern Colombia where we saw one away from the llanos and it became one of the birds of the trip.  Little did I know that I would see quite a few on my trip to the Pantanal in Brazil a couple years later in 2022 and then again in central Colombia in 2024.  The first set of pics are from central Colombia and the last is from the Pantanal.

Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus) - 20Aug2022

The Capped Heron has a seemingly huge range in South America but is pretty hard to find.  So it was especially cool to find a trio of them that didn't flush while boating around the river systems in the Pantanal.  The blue facial skin is quite striking and makes this a very elegant looking heron.

Rufescent Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum) - 16-20Aug2022

Adult Rufescent Tiger-Herons are easy to different from the other two species of Tiger-Herons (Fasciated and Bare-throated) in the genus Tigrisoma.  The young birds are much more difficult to differentiate and they can take up to 5 years to achieve adult plumage.  However, in most areas they do not overlap with some exceptions for the Fasciated and Rufescent.  In the Pantanal in Brazil, the kind you will see most is the Rufescent where these were all photographed.

Adult Rufescent 

Young Rufescent looking like a tiger!

Black-faced Ibis (Theristicus melanopis) - 28Feb2022

The Black-faced Ibis is the third species in the genus Theristicus that I have seen.  These seems to gravitate more to the coastal areas and grasslands in Argentina, Peru and Chile.  They are quite similar looking to the Buff-necked Ibis, and previously were one species but now most authorities consider them separate.  Matt and I saw ours on the coast right next to the airport in Ushuaia, Argentina.

Buff-necked Ibis (Theristicus caudatus) - 13Aug2022

The Buff-necked Ibis is another one of the 4 ibises in the genus Theristicus.  We had a ton of these hanging out in the fields right next to our Pousada (hotel) in the southern Pantanal of Brazil.  However, as is frequently the problem with the more common birds on trips to foreign lands, I tend to focus on other birds thinking I will get more chances and then end up never getting good pics at all.  I somehow only came away with two pictures of this species despite the fact that large numbers of them were roosting in the trees next to my room, making a racket first think in the morning.  

Plumbeous Ibis (Theristicus caerulescens) - 18Aug2022

Plumbeous Ibis is super cool looking, like the rasta of birds with the dread locks on the back of the head.  They are in the genus Theristicus with 3 other South American Ibises of which the Buff-necked Ibis is the closest living relative.   We got good looks at several of them in the Pantanal region of Brazil.

A begging youngster with the adult.

Green Ibis (Mesembrinibis cayennensis) - 9&21Aug2022

The Green Ibis of South and Central America is the only bird in its genus.  Although I have seen it several times in different countries, all of my half decent photos are from my first trip to Brazil.  There are quite a lot of them in the Pantanal area but we also saw them down on the coast near Sao Paulo.  The "green" is mostly an iridescence on the nape and wings but the legs and bill are also kind of greenish depending on the light.