White-crested Tiger Heron
The White Crested Heron ( Tigriornis leucolophus ) is a type of the heron family. The species is found only in Africa. He is the only representative of its genus. As a sister genus is the American genus Tigrisoma.
Appearance
The white crested heron reaches a height 66-80 inches. The white tuft is usually hidden by the dark feathers of the back of the head and are only visible when the heron lift him up. The top of the head and the neck of the white crested heron are black. The beak is long and slender. The upper beak is black-brown, while the lower beak is yellow-green. The cere is green and the iris are yellow. The sides of the head, the neck, the back and upper wing-coverts have fine black and reddish-brown stripes. The tips of the wings are white. The body bottom is only slightly brighter than the body top and has a similar, fine stripe pattern.
Area of distribution and habitat
The white crested herons occur in tropical rain forest of West Africa. Its range extends from Senegal, Guinea- Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon and Zaire. In addition to tropical rain forests, it occurs in gallery forests along rivers and mangrove -lined rivers along the coast.
Way of life
The life of the white crested heron is been studied only very inadequately. The food spectrum is probably very large. It is certain that these include small fish, crustaceans, frogs, snakes and insects. About the reproductive biology is so far only known that he einzelgängerisch built its nest in tall trees.