Xenornis

Panama Records Committee Chair George Angehr chimes in on Venicio’s odd Butorides from Las Bóvedas : Interesting bird. However, I showed it to heron expert James Kushlan and he said that Lava Heron has a thicker bill and thicker legs. Photos on line also seem to show that Lava Heron has a yellow eye. Kushlan thought it was just a melanistic Green/Striated.

Yesterday while walking Casco Viejo with a friend I spotted this "very dark" Green Heron on the rocks below Paseo Esteban Huertas at Las Bóvedas. I was looking at the picture I made with my cellphone and my binoculars (Binophonescoping) and the bird looks very similar to the pictures of Lava Heron from Galapagos Islands. With the high number of ships and sailboats crossing the Panama Canal there is a small chance for an accidental Lava Heron?