Found: New nest of rare Zigzag Heron (Zebrilus undulatus) with two chicks
Update: April 18, 2021
We found this Zigzag Heron (Zebrilus undulatus) on its nest on the side of a lagoon at the Tapiche Jungle Reserve in the northern Amazon of Peru. We have found Zigzag Herons nesting in different areas of the reserve on both sides of the Tapiche river in past years, but this nest is placed in an area where we haven't found a nest before.
The Zigzag heron is rare and not a lot is known about its natural behaviour yet. Reportings on this heron's nesting behaviour suggest that they only lay one egg, but on this Zigzag heron nest, we observed two chicks that had already hatched when we first found the nest. This is consistent with observations we made in past years; nests we found always had two eggs or two chicks in them.
We observed this nest from a hideout at a safe distance as to not disturb the heron and its chicks. When we arrived to the hideout, the adult heron was not around and we could observe the two chicks resting in the nest. One of the chicks is bigger and has a grey-ish colour, while the other chick is completely white. After some time, the adult heron arrived, but it stayed on a branch close by rather than going directly onto the nest. One of the chicks at that point was curiously stretching out its head, observing what was going on in the area surrounding the nest. Its fine plumage on the head was moving with the slightest breeze. After observing from the side for a while, the adult Zigzag heron jumped onto the nest and gently pushed down the chicks' head when entering. The adult then stayed on the nest together with its two chicks.
We are excited and proud to have the rare Zigzag Heron nesting at the Tapiche Jungle Reserve again this year and consider this as a reward for our conservation work.
