Butorides virescens
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The green heron (Butorides virescens) is a small heron of North and Central America. Butorides is from Middle English butor "bittern" and Ancient Greek -oides, "resembling", and virescens is Latin for "greenish". It was long considered conspecific with its sister species the striated heron (Butorides striata); when treated together, they were called "green-backed heron".
The green heron is a relatively small heron; adult body length is about 44 cm (17 in). The neck is often pulled in tight against the body. Adults have a glossy, greenish-black cap, an iridescent greenish back and wings that are gray-black grading into green or blue, a chestnut neck with a pair or more of white lines down the front, gray underparts and short yellow legs. The bill is dark with a long, sharp point. Female adults tend to be smaller than males, and have duller and lighter plumage, particularly in the breeding season. Juveniles are duller, with the head sides, neck and underparts streaked brown and white, tan-splotched back and wing coverts, and greenish-yellow legs and bill. Hatchlings are covered in down feathers, light gray above, and white on the belly.
The green heron's call is a loud... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santo Domingo | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 2 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 10 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Ecomuseum Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Detroit Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Guadalajara Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Woodland Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Aquarama Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Aviario Nacional de Colombia | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 9 | Safari Masai Mara | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Parque Zoológico Nacional Simón Bolívar | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo | 🇧🇲 Bermuda | |
| 12 | Florida Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Texas State Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Green Heron sighting in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 405 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 27th most-seen of the 216 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Green Heron in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against about 30% in September, the lowest month.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Green Heron sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 66
Of the 66 parks where we can rate Green Heron sightings, Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve ranks 6th at about 40%. The best odds are in Palo Verde National Park (Costa Rica, about 70%), Tortuguero National Park (Costa Rica, about 50%) and Ciénaga de Zapata (Cuba, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Ardeidae
The closest relatives of the Green Heron that you can see in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (family Ardeidae, Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) are Great Blue Heron (about 70%), Great Egret (about 70%) and Snowy Egret (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Green Heron is recorded against all the birds logged in Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (405 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
