Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Bare-throated Tiger Heron (Tigrisoma mexicanum)
Bare-throated Tiger Heron

Bare-throated Tiger Heron

Tigrisoma mexicanum

The Bare-throated Tiger Heron, known scientifically as Tigrisoma mexicanum, is a striking wading bird belonging to the heron family, Ardeidae. It is a creature of considerable size, measuring 80 cm (31 in) in length and tipping the scales at 1,200 g (42 oz). The species is distinguished by its bare throat, which exhibits a greenish-yellow to orange hue across all plumages.

Identification Tips

Adults of this species can be identified by their black crown and the light grey sides of their head. The neck and upperparts are predominantly blackish, narrowly barred with buff. A distinctive white-bordered black median stripe adorns the fore-neck, while the underparts are a dull cinnamon brown. Juveniles, on the other hand, display a buff coloration coarsely barred with black, with more mottling and vermiculation on the wings. Their throat, median underparts, and belly are predominantly whitish.

Habitat

The Bare-throated Tiger Heron favors more open environments compared to its Tigrisoma counterparts, often found along the banks of rivers and lakes.

Distribution

This species has a range that extends from Mexico to northwestern Colombia. There has been a recorded sighting in the United States, specifically in Hidalgo County, Texas.

Behaviour

The Bare-throated Tiger Heron is known for its often motionless stance as it waits for suitable prey, such as fish, frogs, or crabs, to venture within striking distance of its long bill. It is a solitary breeder, not typically associating with heron colonies.

Song & Calls

The flight of the Bare-throated Tiger Heron is described as heavy. Its vocalizations include a hoarse "howk-howk-howk" and, in males, a booming "hrrrowwr!" particularly around sunset. During the latter call, the beak opens wide, and undulations are visible along the throat.

Breeding

This heron breeds alone, constructing a small, flattish stick platform in a tree for its nest. The clutch usually consists of 2–3 green-tinged white eggs.

Similar Species

While there are no specific similar species mentioned, the Bare-throated Tiger Heron can be differentiated from other herons by its unique throat coloration and barring patterns.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of the Bare-throated Tiger Heron includes fish, frogs, and crabs, which it captures with its long bill.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List has classified the Bare-throated Tiger Heron as Least Concern, indicating that, currently, there are no immediate threats to its population numbers that would warrant a higher level of concern.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Bare-throated Tiger Herons on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Herons, Bitterns

A photo of a Agami Heron (Agamia agami)

Agami Heron

Agamia agami
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Unbridled Discoveries
Great app for bird lovers
I love this app! It’s a wonderful way to track birding sessions, and also connect you with fellow birders. I also really like the unidentified bird section, it’s a great community tool to help figure out what a never-before-seen bird is!
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.
Alex J
Friendly and helps to identify birds
Great birding app, good for logging your sightings, also has nice species guide. I'm enjoying the social aspect more than I expected, everyone seems friendly and helps to identify unknown birds. Good mix of newbies and experienced users.
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Anonymous
The best bird logging app
Birda is honestly the best bird logging app I have seen. I love all the features it has from being able to do a session and log all the birds you see in one sitting, to being able to connect with other birders from all over the globe!
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
778
Great bird recording
For a while I’ve been trying to find an app to easily record bird lists and day out and struggled to find one that I like. Birda is great for this, straightforward and a great community!
Mike T
Sense of Community
A great app, which is continually being improved. What really comes through is the passion of those behind the app. The sense of community is brilliant, so much help and support provided to new and/or in experienced birders.
EandB17
Terrific App for Birders
Downloaded Birda around the time my interest in birding was sparked, and it has been a terrific app to help me (1) share my experience, (2) document my sightings, and (3) learn more about birds in general. That said, I also believe Birda is a fantastic app for birders of all experience levels. Great community!
David C
Very knowledgeable group
Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.