Habitat: This species favors open areas like forested stream and river habitats. Distribution: This species was reported from Honduras to northern Argentina and Uruguay. Natural History Notes: This tiger-heron species is usually found solitary in Panama. It is interesting to know that it requires around five years for this bird to attain a full adult plumage. Conservation status according to IUCN 2008 Red list: Least Concern (LC). This is a resident species. Characteristics: The total length of this species varies between 26 inches and 28 inches (measured from tip of bill to end of tail). The bill is heavy with a coloration yellowish-gray and the legs are brilliant green. The head, neck and chest all have dark chestnut coloration with white stripes that crosses the foreneck. Otherwise, the upperparts plumage is brown with thin black lines and the underparts are brown, with stripes of black and white on the flanks. The juvenile are different from the adults because its plumage is mostly cinnamon colored with large black bands on the wings. For both adult and juvenile, the throat and the belly are white.