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Blind boat-billed heron

What a nice memory! This is Stevie, a boat-billed heron at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

 

I met him in 2014 when I took this image and I've just now found a post by the Aviary in 2021, celebrating his 33rd birthday. Amazing.

 

He has cataracts in both eyes and is completely blind.

 

Stevie is one of the oldest boat-billed herons on record and is a resident of the aviary's Teaching Hospital, where he receives individualized care from the Veterinary Care Team.

 

I remember he was a lovely character. Patient and gentle with all who greeted him.

 

Boatbills are nocturnal birds, their natural habitat being mangrove swamps from Mexico, south to Peru and Brazil.

 

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Uploaded on July 8, 2024
Taken on February 18, 2014