lava heron
Galápagos heron latin
butorides sundevalli latin

Lava Herons are typically seen hunched over and they have a sharp alarm call.

The Lava Heron stalks small crabs and fish slowly before quickly spearing and eating them.

The Lava Heron (Butorides sundevalli), also known as the Galapagos Heron, is a species of heron endemic to the Galapagos Islands.

It contains three similar species, the Green Heron or Green-backed Heron, Butorides virescens, the Lava Heron (Butorides sundevalli), and the Striated Heron, Butorides striatus.

Widespread and generally common, the Striated Heron is classified as a Species of Least Concern by the IUCN; this holds true whether the Lava Heron is included in B. striata or not.

Interestingly, the striated heron was thought to be conspecific with the closely related North American green heron, B. virescens, and the lava heron, B. sundevalli, of the Galápagos Islands - a group that was collectively known as the green-backed herons.

The Lava Heron (Butorides sundevalli), also known as the Galapagos Heron, is a species of heron endemic to the Galapagos Islands.

It contains three similar species, the Green Heron or Green-backed Heron, Butorides virescens, the Lava Heron (Butorides sundevalli), and the Striated Heron, Butorides striatus.