The Story
I photographed this Rufescent Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum) at Zacambu Lodge on the Yavarí, in Loreto, Peru. The Rufescent Tiger-Heron usually hunts alone, standing hunched in shallow pools or wet forest while it waits for prey. Juveniles are rusty-buff and coarsely barred with black. It lives in wetlands from Central America through much of South America. Zacambu is about three hours by boat from Leticia, along the Amazon and Yavarí rivers. The Yavarí is a clear-water tributary of the Amazon, about 1,050 km long, that forms the border between Brazil and Peru along its whole course. IUCN lists the Rufescent Tiger-Heron as Least Concern, with a stable population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. Trips from Leticia to Zacambu include walks in the flooded forest and a visit to a village where monkeys are being released.
©2021 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Rufescent Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma lineatum) 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 2022), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List