SOUTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN BIRDS PHOTO GALLERY

Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists' Club         Southeastern Caribbean Bird Alert         Trinidad and Tobago Rare Bird Committee

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Western Reef-Heron (Egretta gularis)

A                                                   B

Dark-phased individual at Nariva Swamp, Trinidad, 22 January 1986 (A-B). Photos © by Winston Nanan. First record for T&T and South America, found by William Murphy and Winston Nanan. Note the white throat, which distinguishes this species from the Little Blue-Heron (E. caerulea), as well as an apparent white patch on the right wing visible in flight. For further details, see: Murphy, W. L., and W. Nanan. 1987. First confirmed record of Western Reef-Heron Egretta gularis for South America. American Birds 41:392-394.

C                                                              D                                    E

F                                    G

Dark-morph first-winter immature at Buccoo, Tobago, 22 December 2000 (C-E) and in adult plumage on 8 October 2001 (F-G) . Photos © by Floyd Hayes. 1st for Tobago, 2nd for T&T and South America. Found by Martyn Kenefick on 16 December 2000, this individual was last reported on 8 October 2001 and presumably is still present. Note the white throat, dark but not black bill, and greenish feet. The brown tones on the wings in December 2000 indicate that it is an immature; by July 2001, the brown tones were no longer visible. A dark-phase Little Egret (E. garzetta), which is extremely rare, would lack the white throat.

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