The Agami Heron

The Agami Heron is an elusive bird. These elegant herons spend most of the year along the edges of lagoons or streams, under the cover of vegetation. Because they're shy, they're difficult to see and we don't have an accurate estimate of their population.

This species is nearly threatened, as it depends on swamp forest, mangroves, or forest streams usually below 300 meters in elevation. This type of habitat was common just a few hundred years ago, but cattle ranching and agriculture has dramatically decreased the amount of this unique habitat.

When the Agami Heron nests, it does so in large rookeries: some with hundreds or even a thousand nests in one area. There are a few large rookeries in Central and South America. But as of 2025, a new location was discovered near the town of Katira de Guatosa, Costa Rica that provides one of the easiest locations to see this amazing bird.

While there are a few Agamis that live in the reserve year-round, the real spectacle is the community of birds that form during nesting season.

The birds start gathering in May of each year and then will be at the reserve until September when the young have become independent and the birds disperse. Some birds will travel hundreds of kilometers away from Agami Island during the non-breeding season.