lava heron
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{speciesbox
| image = Lavaheron-santafe.jpg
| image_caption = Adult on Santa Fe Island
| genus = Butorides
| species = sundevalli
| authority = (Reichenow, 1877)
| synonyms =
Butorides striata sundevalli
|synonyms_ref = {{avibase|7F14FB50AB9DC01D|Galapagos heron}}
}}
The lava heron (Butorides sundevalli), also known as the Galápagos heron, is a species of heron endemic to the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. It is considered by some authorities — including the American Ornithological Society and BirdLife International — to be a subspecies (or even just a colour morph) of the striated heron (B. striata), and was formerly "lumped" with this species and the green heron (B. virescens) as the green-backed heron.
Description
The adult is slate-grey to black, which allows it to blend in with the hardened lava. The back feathers typically have a silvery sheen and it has a short crest on its head. When breeding, the heron has a black beak and bright orange legs, but these fade to grey after the breeding season.{{Cite web|url=https://www.santacruzgalapagoscruise.com/lava-heron-nesting-season/|title=Lava Heron Nesting Season in Galapagos is here! Heads Up Birders!|date=2017-10-20|website=Santa Cruz Galapagos Cruise|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-16}}
File:Galapagos Striated Heron imported from iNaturalist photo 261543157 on 3 December 2024.jpg|Young juvenile swallowing a bird, San Cristóbal Island.
File:Striated heron (Butorides striata sundevalli) juvenile.jpg|Older juvenile, Isabela Island
File:Galápagos (lava) heron (Butorides sundevalli) young adult.JPG|Young adult, Isabela Island
Distribution and habitat
These highly territorial birds are found in intertidal zones and mangrove swamps on all of the islands of Galápagos Province.
Behavior
= Diet =
The lava heron stalks small crabs and fish slowly before quickly spearing and eating them. They have also been known to eat the flies that gather near cacti and occasionally smaller birds.{{Cite journal|last=Moran|first=Matthew D.|date=June 2010|title=Predation by a Lava Heron (Butorides Striata Sundevalli) on a Small Ground Finch (Geospiza fuliginosa) in the Galapagos Islands|journal=Waterbirds|volume=33|issue=2|pages=258–259|doi=10.1675/063.033.0216|issn=1524-4695}}
= Interactions =
These birds have little fear of humans. It has been noted they have flight behaviors, some of which may carry the purpose of territory defense/advertising.{{Cite journal|last=Kushlan|first=James A.|date=1983|title=Pair Formation Behavior of the Galapagos Lava Heron|journal=The Wilson Bulletin|volume=95|issue=1|pages=118–121|issn=0043-5643|jstor=4161721}}
= Calls =
Breeding
Unlike most herons, these birds nest in solitary pairs for one breeding season in either the lower branches of mangrove trees or under lava rocks.
They can breed year-round, though typically from September to March, and can mate up to three times a year and have up to ten eggs each time.
References
{{reflist}}Resources
- Heinzel, Hermann and Barnaby Hall. Galapagos Diary. Los Angeles; University of California Press, 2000.
{{Taxonbar|from=Q603374}}
Category:Endemic birds of the Galápagos Islands