Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Tigrisoma mexicanum
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Tigrisoma mexicanum. Photograph taken in the greater Yal-Ku area, Quintana Roo, April 2017, Photographs courtesy of Juan Rojo, Akumal.
Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Tigrisoma mexicanum. Photograph taken in the greater Alamos area, Sonora, March 20197. Photograph and identification courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.
Background and Identification
The Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Tigrisoma mexicanum, is a member of the Ardeidae Family of Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns. They are monotypic and have very distinct characteristics. These herons are known for their slow, deliberate movements as they stalk prey in shallow marshes and inlets. They feed as solitary individuals at night consuming crustaceans, frogs, fish, and insects. In Mexico, they are called Garza Tigre Mexicana.
Classified as medium-sized wading birds, Bare-throated Tiger-Herons vary from 71 cm (2 feet 4 inches) to 81 cm (2 feet 8 inches) in length and are 1,000 g (2 lbs 3 oz) to 1,345 g (2 lbs 15 oz) in mass. Mature males and females look similar, with long, slender necks and a distinctive bare yellow throat patch. This absence of pattern in their plumage is what gives them their name. The plumage on the rest of their bodies is very intricate, with colors including black, grey, white, beige, and dark brown. They have a sturdy, yellowish bill, and their eyes are bright yellow. Immature individuals are more uniform in color (usually plumage is dominated by brown) with less striping.
Habitat and Geographical Range
Bare-throated Tiger-Herons are commonly found in coastal zones with brackish and saltwater environments. Wetland environments include freshwater marshes, swamps, rivers, coastal lagoons, and mangroves. They will gravitate towards mangroves in areas where they are present. More common in lowlands, this species is usually found in areas up to 1,200 m (4,000 feet) above sea level. In addition, they are found inland in marshes and swamps in tropical zones and near freshwater rivers and streams at higher elevations.
Geographically, this species ranges from southern Mexico through Central America, extending to northern Colombia. In Mexico they are found in the coastal regions within the Atlantic Slope from Southern Tamaulipas south to Belize, including the Yucatán Peninsula, and within the Pacific Slope from Southern Sinaloa south to Guatemala at elevations up to 1,000 m (3,300 feet). This species is usually sedentary, but occasionally, populations have been recorded to migrate from the coast inland to the interior of Mexico each year.
Common Misidentifications
Due to their distinctive plumage, habitat preferences, and behaviors, Bare-throated Tiger-Herons are generally easy to identify and not easily confused with other species. However, they can sometimes be confused from other heron species in poor light conditions or from far away. Distinguishing features of the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron include its bare yellow throat and its unique striping pattern. Individuals also usually have very bright yellow or green-colored sides of their beaks and areas around their eyes.
Conservation Status
From a conservation perspective, the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Its global populations are stable, and they occupy a relatively wide range.