Boat-billed Heron

Cochlearius cochlearius

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderPelecaniformes (Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies)
FamilyArdeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns)
GenusCochlearius
SpeciesCochlearius cochlearius (Boat-billed Heron)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Iguaçu National Park

2 Verified sightings at Iguaçu National Park From 2019 to 2026

6,762 Verified sightings across all 55 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Boat-billed Heron

The boat-billed heron (Cochlearius cochlearius), colloquially known as the boatbill, is an atypical member of the heron family. It is the only member of the genus Cochlearius and was formerly placed in a monotypic family, the Cochleariidae. It lives in mangrove swamps from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil. It is a nocturnal bird, and breeds semi-colonially in mangrove trees, laying two to four bluish-white eggs in a twig nest.

In 1760, the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the boat-billed heron in his Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in French Guiana. He used the French name La Cuillière and the Latin Cochlearius. Brisson placed the species in a new genus Cochlearius (with the same name as that of the species). When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. One of these was the boat-billed heron. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Cancroma cochlearia, and cited Brisson's work.

Although Brisson coined Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Iguaçu National Park

Ardea alba

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Nycticorax nycticorax

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Tigrisoma lineatum

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Egretta thula

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Butorides striata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Ardea cocoi

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Bubulcus ibis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Tigrisoma fasciatum

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Syrigma sibilatrix

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Egretta caerulea

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Pilherodius pileatus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Mesembrinibis cayennensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas	🇧🇷 Brazil	~20%
2	Tikal National Park	🇬🇹 Guatemala	~20%
3	Palo Verde National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~20%
4	Tortuguero National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~20%
5	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~20%
6	Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~20%
7	Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	~10%
8	Yasuní National Park	🇪🇨 Ecuador	~10%
9	Soberanía National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	~10%
10	Cahuita National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
11	Las Baulas Marine National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	~10%
12	Darién National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
13	Piedras Blancas National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
14	Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary	🇧🇿 Belize	<5%
15	Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
16	Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
17	Anavilhanas National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
18	Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
19	Manuel Antonio National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
20	Santa Rosa National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
21	Corcovado National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
22	Caroni Swamp	🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago	<5%
23	Pico Bonito National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	<5%
24	Calakmul Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
25	Serra dos Órgãos National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	<5%
26	Ostional Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
27	Braulio Carrillo National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
28	Tambopata National Reserve	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
29	Madidi National Park	🇧🇴 Bolivia	<5%
30	Carara National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
31	Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
32	Bastimentos Island National Marine Park	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
33	Arenal Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
34	La Amistad International Park (Panama)	🇵🇦 Panama	<5%
35	Manu National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	<5%
36	Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
37	Marino Ballena National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
38	Sierra de la Macarena National Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	<5%
39	Tenorio Volcano National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	<5%
40	Chirripó National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
41	Cañón del Sumidero National Park	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
42	Tijuca National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
43	Noel Kempff Mercado National Park	🇧🇴 Bolivia	Insufficient data
44	Biotopo Cerro Cahuí	🇬🇹 Guatemala	Insufficient data
45	San Lorenzo Protected Forest	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
46	Amacayacu National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
47	Cordillera Azul National Park	🇵🇪 Peru	Insufficient data
48	Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park	🇭🇳 Honduras	Insufficient data
49	Parque Natural Metropolitano	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
50	Chapada dos Guimarães National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
51	Chagres National Park	🇵🇦 Panama	Insufficient data
52	Chingaza National Natural Park	🇨🇴 Colombia	Insufficient data
53	Iguaçu National Park	🇧🇷 Brazil	Insufficient data
54	Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data
55	Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park	🇨🇷 Costa Rica	Insufficient data

← Back to Iguaçu National Park

Boat-billed Heron

About the Boat-billed Heron

Recent sightings of Boat-billed Heron in Iguaçu National Park

Closest Relatives at Iguaçu National Park

Great Egret

Black-crowned Night Heron

Rufescent Tiger Heron

Snowy Egret

Striated Heron

Cocoi Heron

Cattle Egret

Fasciated Tiger Heron

Whistling Heron

Little Blue Heron

Capped Heron

Green Ibis

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found