Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Butorides sundevalli
Garcilla de lava, Garza de Lava; Garcilla de Galápagos, Galapagos Lava Heron
The Lava Heron is the smallest heron in the Galápagos Islands, commonly found on rocky coasts and mangroves, and less frequently in other coastal habitats and inland wetlands. Its plumage is variable, ranging from uniformly dark grey or blackish to paler forms that resemble the Striated Heron. Adults tend to be slate-grey to black, an adaptation that allows them to blend in with hardened black lava, while their back feathers typically display a silvery sheen and a short crest on the head. During the breeding season, the bill turns black and the legs become bright orange, both of which fade to grey once the breeding season ends.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Pelecaniformes
Family
Ardeidae
Genus
Butorides
Species
sundevalli
Taxon category: Accepted
Genomic data confirmed that the Galapagos Lava Heron is a valid species. Previously it was considered a subspecies of the Striated Heron Butorides striata.
Origin: Endemic
Distribution: Found in the coasts, including mangrove areas, of all islands of the archipelago.
- Harris, M.P. (1973) The Galápagos avifauna. Condor 75(3): 265-278.
- Harris, M.P. (1982) A field guide to the birds of Galápagos. Collins, London, 2nd ed., 160 pp.
- Jiménez-Uzcátegui, G. Milstead, B., Márquez, C., Zabala, J., Buitrón, P., Llerena, A., et al. (2007) Galapagos vertebrates: endangered status and conservation actions. Galapagos Report 2006–2007. Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, p. 104–110.
- Mendales, E. Z. McCormack, J. E., Castañeda Cepeda, J. S., Dumbacher, J. P., Chaves, J. A. (2026) Global phylogenetic relationships of Butorides herons (Aves: Ardeidae) reveal the evolutionary history and taxonomic status of the Galápagos Lava Heron Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 220 (2026) 108600
- Palma, R.L. Peck, S.B. (2013) An annotated checklist of parasitic lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) from the Galápagos Islands Zootaxa 3627 (1): 001–087
- Swarth, H.S. (1931) The Avifauna of the Galapagos Islands. Occ. Pap. Calif. Acad. Sci. 18: 1-299.
- Wiedenfeld, D.A. (2006) Aves, The Galapagos Islands, Ecuador Check List 2(2): 1-27
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Butorides sundevalli", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=17820. Accessed 31 October 2026.