Animalia Life

Agamia agami
SUBFAMILY
Agamiinae
TAXONOMY
Ardea agami Gmelin, 1789, Cayenne. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Chestnut-bellied heron; French: Hйron agami; German: Speerreiher; Spanish: Garza Agamн.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The agami heron is a strikingly colored medium-sized heron. The rapier-like bill averages 5.5 in (140 mm) but sometimes reaches 6.4 in (163 mm), about one-fifth the bird’s total length (24–30 in [60–76 cm]). The neck is very long and snake-like. Its back is bottle green, upper neck is chestnut with a central white stripe bordered by black contrasting with a gray lower neck, which sports a distinctive mat of shaggy, light gray feathers. The belly is chestnut. In the breeding season it has ribbonlike light blue crest feathers, up to 5 in (125 mm) long, and also broad slaty blue plumes on the lower back.
DISTRIBUTION
The agami heron occurs in Central and northern South America, especially in the Orinoco and Amazon basins.
HABITAT
This heron occurs in dense tropical lowland forest along margins of streams, small rivers, and swamps. They are also found less commonly along the margins of pools, oxbow lakes, and other small bodies of water.
BEHAVIOR
The agami heron typically is seen standing in crouched posture on banks, dykes, bushes, or branches overhanging the water. It also walks slowly in shallow water at the edge of streams or ponds. It has a distinctive, low-pitched, rattling alarm call.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
The agami heron is a specialized bank fisher. Its short legs and long neck permit a long lunging strike. It feeds alone, with individuals scattered along water courses. With its long neck and bill, it is primarily a fish-eating heron.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Nesting is during the wet season. It nests in small single species or mixed-species colonies. Nests are in isolated clumps of mangroves, dead branches of drowned trees in an artificial lake, trees standing in water, and bushes within marshes, well hidden within the vegetation. The nest is a loose, thick platform of sticks or twigs, rather deeply cupped. The eggs are pale blue-green or dull blue. Clutch size is two to four eggs. Nothing is reported on incubation. Young gain weight quickly, more than doubling in the first week.
CONSERVATION STATUS
It is likely not at risk over the entirety of its large range and is readily seen along rivers and streams in certain parts of its range. Given its known habits, it would be threatened by deforestation and damming of rivers.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known. This is a little known, highly specialized species of the deep tropical forest. It is infrequently seen.

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