Boat-billed heron

A handsome bird. Good DOF. Could use a little warming. Tack sharp in the small image, but pushing the envelope in the large image.

Sure does, Govind.  Superb detail and the dof looks just about right.  Do you know if they have special feeding habits or a particular prey species that resulted in the very un-heron like beak?

Nice colorful tropical bird. Well framed and composed. Detail is just fine even in the large image.  Stands out very well against the background.

Thank you all for for your feedback.

Dennis: Not sure what advantages the odd beak provides - it may give them a better chance of catching their prey such as frogs. Their prey does not seem very different from other types of night herons, so nothing unusual.

I really like this pose, Govind. It shows off that unique wide bill. Very well lit, the bird pops nicely against the dark background. Great image!!

Very odd looking species, almost surreal looking. I light the pose you managed Govind. I assume with the dark BG and the settings you listed, a flash was used? Asking because I didn't see one listed, but has a bit of a flash look to it. Love the detail on this, but I am seeing a bit of color cast to it. Might just be my eyes after starring at the screen for too long. 

Kurt: I did not use a flash for this image. The lighting probably gives the impression of flash. The heron and foreground are lit up by reflected sunlight from the lake (the sun was still below the tree-line when I made the image). The backdrop was far enough back that it did not receive much light.

Re the color cast, what kind of color do you see?

Wonderful bird and shot. I find shooting in these circumstance always a challenge, you managed well however ! Cheers, Hans

Thanks for answering my question on whether or not a flash was used Givind. It is a light greenish cast. I looked at it on a couple different monitors and still see it, but I haven't seen anyone else mention it, so maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me?

Love everything about this one, Govind.  The colors are gorgeous, lighting is perfect with really sharp detail.  The bird is cool, too. 

First, congratulations on finding this bird in the open. In my experience, this nocturnal species skulks well back in the mangroves along rivers and rarely emerges into the open in daylight. Perfectly exposed and nicely crisp throughout. Very nicely done.

Cool bird, great capture.  And, love the bill.
May

This is one of the better looks at the odd bill of this bird, excellent shot of this species in the low light Govind, great job.