Cocoi Heron
Ardea cocoi
Also known as: American White-Necked Heron, South American White-Necked Heron
About This Species
This large heron stands motionless at the edges of rivers, lakes, and mangroves across South America, waiting to spear fish and amphibians with a sudden strike. It is most active around dawn and dusk, often visible along quiet waterways or wetland margins where it tolerates being watched if approached slowly. Breeding colonies form in trees near water and are worth seeking out in the local nesting season for a chance to see multiple birds together.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Keep a comfortable distance, particularly near nesting colonies, since herons abandon nests or chicks if repeatedly startled and can drop eggs or young in flight from a disturbed platform.
- Protection for wading birds and their habitat varies considerably across the countries this species ranges through, so do not assume the rules of one country apply in another.
- Move slowly and avoid loud noise near feeding or roosting birds rather than pushing closer for a better view.
LCAvesPelecaniformesArdeidae
Seasonal Activity
289,057 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Ardeidae
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.