Snake bird

1 Species ID Suggestions

José N. Daza Gómez 12 years ago

Redish herron

Dichromanassa rufescens

9 Comments

lmdang 12 years ago

Thanks, Susan, it looked just like the one swimming in the wikipedia page but the legs were not short and I didn't get a good look at the feet - they were obscured

SusanEllison 12 years ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darter

SusanEllison 12 years ago

i checked but it does not have the colors of darter:
The males have black and dark brown plumage, a short erectile crest on the nape and a larger bill than the female. The females have a much paler plumage, especially on the neck and underparts, and are a bit larger overall. Both have grey stippling on long scapulars and upper wing coverts. The sharply pointed bill has serrated edges, a desmognathous palate and no external nostrils. The darters have completely webbed feet, and their legs are short and set far back on the body.

lmdang 12 years ago

Thanks, Sub.Dio, but it is too big to be a bittern. It was about 1m tall. I remember the guide calling it a snake bird and it exhiited the behaviour of a darter. Just not sure which one because I haven't seen any quite as distinctively-patterned