Cocoi Heron

• It forms a superspecies with the Eurasian grey heron and the North American great blue heron: all three have almost identical skeletal morphology.
• It takes fish of more than 20 cm, but also mammals, amphibians, reptiles and even carrion.
• It adapts its diet to its surroundings: on rivers and lakes it fishes, while in heavily vegetated areas it hunts insects and amphibians.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

All kinds of aquatic habitats: rivers, streams, marshes, swamps, lagoons and freshwater lakes, as well as irrigation canals. Its long legs let it wade into deeper water than other herons

Birth weight

Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent

Size at birth

Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent

Gestation / incubation

24-26 days of incubation

Litter / clutch size

2-4 eggs per clutch

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List · Universidad de las Indias Occidentales (ficha Ardea cocoi) · Dunning 2008 · Hancock y Kushlan, The Heron Handbook · Heron Conservation (Heron Specialist Group) · de la Paz Ducommun y Beltzer 2010 · Birds of the World (Cornell Lab)

Best time: All year round; its activity peaks at midday and falls at dusk, though it can also feed at night