Whistling heron

Syrigma sibilatrix

The Whistling heron (Syrigma sibilatrix) is a bird found in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela. Wet grassland and farms across South America. It eats insects and other small invertebrates and small animals. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Syrigma sibilatrix
Region	South America
Found in	Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela

🏡 Where the Whistling heron lives

Wet grassland and farms across South America.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs70%
🐾 Small animals30%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It makes a soft whistling sound and often feeds on dry land.

Hear the Whistling heron

Recorded by Mauricio Cuellar Ramirez (@Birding.travel) (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC625535. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Whistling heron

Where does the Whistling heron live?

The Whistling heron lives in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela. Wet grassland and farms across South America.

What does the Whistling heron eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 70%), small animals (about 30%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Whistling heron endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from South America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.