(Pandion haliaetus), which winters in Amazonia and
is a permanent resident throughout much of Central
America and the Caribbean, the Black- collared Hawk
plunges feet- first into Amazonian rivers to capture its
scaly prey.
The Black- collared Hawk, like the Osprey, has
talons with rough scaling, adapted to holding slippery
fish. Watching it swoop down and capture a fish is a
memorable experience (plate 12- 38).
The Odd Boat- billed Heron
The Boat- billed Heron (Cochlearius cochlearius) is an
inhabitant of mangrove swamps and riverbanks, named
for its extraordinarily wide, flattened bill (plates 12- 52–
53). Colonies of Boat- billed Herons leave their roosts
at night to feed individually along rivers and marshes.
The function of this heron’s seemingly oversize bill
remains largely unknown, though the bill is likely to
be touch- sensitive (many bird bills are highly touch
sensitive), aiding the bird in searching for frogs, fish,
crustaceans, and various creatures inhabiting mud.
The Shade- loving Agami Heron
Methodically skulking along banks of quiet streams
and rivers as well as wooded swamps and mangroves,
the Agami Heron (Agamia agami; plate 12- 54) is a
prized sighting for any birder or ecotourist. A bird of
deep shade, typically hidden from easy viewing, it is
hard to see. With the longest bill of any Neotropical
heron and a long neck to match, it commands a
significant striking distance as it captures fish with a
quick jab of its beak.
Surprisingly little is known about the Agami Heron
because it has been so difficult to observe. With more
ecotourism and a plethora of talented guides it has, like
the Zigzag Heron (plate 12- 48), become easier to find
in recent years. I was once on a trip to the Venezuelan
Llanos (chapter 14) with an outstanding guide who
found an Agami Heron virtually next to a Zigzag
Heron. Wow. We happily clambered under some
riverside trees to observe the stunning combination.
The Agami Heron is widely distributed from Belize
through most of Amazonia. Yet so little is known
about this solitary species that it was only in 2015 that
detailed photographs documented its rather elaborate
courtship behavior.Hoatzin: Bizarre Bird of the Riverbanks
Unique among bird species, the Hoatzin (Opisthocomus
hoazin; plate 12- 55) is found along slow meandering
streams and oxbows within the Amazon and Orinoco
Basins. Hoatzins resemble chickens in size and shape
and were once thought to be related to them. Their
overall appearance suggests a primitive, almost
prehistoric, bird. A Hoatzin is somewhat gangly, its
body chunky, its neck slender, its head small. The
face is not fully feathered but rather consists of bright
blue bare skin surrounding brilliant red eyes. A
conspicuous, ragged crest of feathers adorns the bird’sPlate 12- 52. This is a Boat- billed Heron. Unique is a good word
for it. Photo by Andrew Whittaker.
Plate 12- 53. Face to face with a Boat- billed Heron. Photo by
Gina Nichol.224 chapter 12 cruising the rivers to the sea