Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus)

One of the most unique herons of the Neotropics! The Capped Heron truly stands out on its own, as no other combines a brilliant sky-blue face and bill with a black crown. It further has a thick, cream-colored neck and body and whitish to light gray wings, and four or five long white plumes that extend off the back of its head. In flight, it is rather compact and appears small, chunky with a thick neck. It has rapid, choppy wingbeats. Males and females are similar, and young birds are also similar to the adults but have paler gray above; juvenile birds may have gray streaking on crown and shorter nuchal plumes.