Usually solitary, this uncommon, poorly known resident of lowland swamps in South America and adjacent Panama is the sole member of the genus Pilherodius. Formerly included with the Night-Herons, the Capped Heron forages more like a day heron and lacks a distinctive immature plumage. The creamy yellow color on its neck and chest is often described as breeding plumage but adults show some creamy color all year long. It is probably not acquired by molt but by preening of powder down which fade with time. Sexes are alike, but immatures have shorter head plumes and a streaked crown. Canon PowerShot SX60 HS.
References:
Buderman, F. E. (2010). Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.capher1.01
Martínez-Vilalta, A., Motis, A. & Kirwan, G.M. (2019). Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/52673 on 22 July 2019).