The zigzag heron is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae, also including egrets and bitterns. It is in the monotypic genus Zebrilus. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical swamps.
Region
Amazon Basin and Guianas
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland tropical swamps and seasonally flooded forests (várzea and igapó) across northern South America, including the Guianas and much of the Amazon Basin. It favors dense understory along slow streams, oxbow lakes, and backwaters with overhanging roots and fallen logs. Often stays close to shaded margins and thickets where cover is abundant. Rarely ventures into open water or exposed shorelines, preferring concealed foraging sites.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 600 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The zigzag heron is the sole member of the genus Zebrilus and is one of the smallest herons in the Americas. It is extremely secretive, spending much of its time in dense flooded forest where it is more often heard than seen. Its finely barred plumage creates a zigzag pattern that provides excellent camouflage among roots and reed tangles. Most detections come at dusk or night when it gives distinctive frog-like calls.
Sani Lodge - Ecuador
Temperament
secretive and solitary
Flight Pattern
short, low flights with rapid wingbeats through dense cover
Social Behavior
Typically solitary or in pairs, staying concealed in thick vegetation near water. Nests are small platforms placed low over water or in dense thickets. Clutches are usually small, and both parents are thought to share incubation and chick care. Territorial defense is mostly vocal and occurs at dusk or night.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives a series of low, frog-like hoots and grunts, often in rhythmic sequences at dusk and during the night. Calls carry through flooded forest and can be mistaken for amphibians. Daytime vocalizations are infrequent.
Plumage
Fine, close barring across the body giving a zigzag pattern; overall buff to brown with darker wavy bands and a paler, lightly streaked throat.
Diet
Takes small aquatic and terrestrial prey including insects, spiders, small fish, tadpoles and frogs, and crustaceans. Forages by stealth along shaded banks and among roots, striking quickly with a short bill. Often picks prey from surfaces or shallow water rather than deep stalking. Its cryptic plumage allows close approach to prey in complex tangles.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in dense swamp forest, among buttress roots, fallen branches, and reed beds at the edges of slow-moving blackwater and oxbow channels. Also uses seasonally flooded forest floors and quiet backwaters with heavy cover.
