Lava Heron
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Lava Heron

Butorides sundevalli

Endemic
50–60% · Likely
overall probability at Galápagos Islands
1,150 Verified records at Galápagos Islands
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The lava heron (Butorides sundevalli), also known as the Galápagos heron, is a species of heron endemic to the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. It was considered by some authorities, including the American Ornithological Society and BirdLife International, to be a subspecies (or even just a colour morph) of the striated heron (B. striata), and was formerly lumped with this species and the green heron (B. virescens) as the green-backed heron. Recent research has shown (unexpectedly) that it is more closely related to the North American green heron, than it is to the geographically much closer South American striated heron, and its status as a Galápagos endemic species is now universally accepted. Wikipedia →

50–60% of wildlife watchers report a Lava Heron sighting in Galápagos Islands, based on 1,150 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Galápagos Islands

Striated Heron
LC

Striated Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Butorides striata

50–60% · Likely
Green Heron

Green Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Butorides virescens

Insufficient data
Cattle Egret
LC

Cattle Egret

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bubulcus ibis

30–40% · Possible
Great Blue Heron
LC Endemic

Great Blue Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ardea herodias

30–40% · Possible
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
LC Endemic

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Nyctanassa violacea

20–30% · Possible
Great Egret
LC Endemic

Great Egret

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Ardea alba

5–10% · With luck
Snowy Egret
LC

Snowy Egret

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Egretta thula

<5% · Rare
Little Blue Heron
LC

Little Blue Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Egretta caerulea

<5% · Rare
Black-crowned Night Heron
LC

Black-crowned Night Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Nycticorax nycticorax

<5% · Rare
Tricolored Heron
LC

Tricolored Heron

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Egretta tricolor

Insufficient data
Brown Pelican
LC

Brown Pelican

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pelecanus occidentalis

80–90% · Very likely

📅 Monthly Probability

50–60
Jan
50–60
Feb
50–60
Mar
50–60
Apr
50–60
May
50–60
Jun
50–60
Jul
50–60
Aug
50–60
Sep
40–50
Oct
40–50
Nov
50–60
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Galápagos Islands 🇪🇨 Ecuador
50–60%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Lava Heron in Galápagos Islands?

About 55% of wildlife watchers report a Lava Heron sighting in Galápagos Islands, based on 1,150 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Lava Heron in Galápagos Islands?

May has the highest sighting rate for Lava Heron in Galápagos Islands in our monthly data.

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