BOAT BILLED HERON - Arapapá Cochlearius cochlearius ©Ivan Cesar (@ivanfcesar on Instagram)
Boat-billed herons feed on shrimp and small fish. They tend to forage in streams, shallow water, and lagoons and use low-hanging branches or roots to stand over the water. In ponds they will walk slowly through shallow water. In order to capture prey they will lunge at fish or scoop the surface of the water with their bills which are uniquely shaped for this method of capture.
Boat-billed herons will forage nocturnally, and have been seen leaving the roost after sundown to feed. They are rarely seen feeding when a light source is present such as daylight, moonlight, or artificial light. One study hypothesized that in order to forage for food in the dark and in shallow, muddy water, their bills are sensitive to touch which helps them feel for their prey.
Herons have 4 long toes, 3 pointing toes forwards and one backwards (anisodactyl) which helps them balance in muddy shallows. The claw on the middle of the forward toes also has a rough, comb-like inner margin that the heron uses to preen its soft feathers.
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