The Story
I photographed this Whistling Heron (Syrigma sibilatrix) at Parque Ecotemático Wisirare, near Orocué, Casanare, Colombia. Unlike other herons, it flies with fast, duck-like wingbeats and usually does not pull its neck in fully. It eats almost any small dryland or marsh animal it can catch. Although patchily distributed, it is common in many areas. It also nests alone, while most herons nest in colonies. It often holds still or walks very slowly when hunting, but it may also run after prey or catch flying insects such as dragonflies. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L for this one, at 1/750 sec, f/6.7, ISO 3200. In September 2026, 17 Orinoco Crocodiles were released at Wisirare as Colombia’s environment ministry signed the PROCAIMÁN commitment, adding to 217 released between 2010 and 2024.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Whistling Heron (Syrigma sibilatrix) belongs to the family Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List
