Tigrisoma


Tigrisoma is a genus of herons in the family Ardeidae.
The genus was erected by the English naturalist William Swainson in 1827, with the rufescent tiger heron as the type species. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek tigris, meaning "tiger" and sôma, meaning "body".

Species

Three species are placed in the genus:
ImageNameCommon nameDistribution
Tigrisoma mexicanumBare-throated tiger heronfrom Mexico to northwestern Colombia, with one recorded sighting from the United States in Hidalgo County, Texas
Tigrisoma fasciatumFasciated tiger heronfrom Costa Rica through northwestern Argentina, southeastern Brazil, and Guyana; it has been recorded as a vagrant in Nicaragua
Tigrisoma lineatumRufescent tiger heronCentral America through much of South America

Beautiful in flight, with great markings on the feathers. Nest mostly resembles a jumbled pile of twigs with openings large enough to allow eggs to fall through occasionally. Call sounds like a sick cow. A contrast in elegance and coarseness.