The aim of this report is to document a recent record of Butorides striata in western Panama and highlight its relevance for updating knowledge on the regional distribution of the species. The striated heron (Butorides striata), also known as mangrove heron or little green heron, is a small member of the family Ardeidae associated with freshwater and brackish aquatic habitats in the Neotropics, with a wide distribution in the Americas but considered rare and scarcely recorded in western Panama. During an ornithological survey in the Azuero Peninsula, a single individual was observed on the shore of an artificial shallow water body, surrounded by shrubs, trees and grasslands. The bird was actively stalking prey along the water’s edge and, after detecting the observers, retreated under the riparian vegetation, consistent with its cryptic and solitary behavior. The individual was photographed, representing the first confirmed photographic record for the Azuero Peninsula and the second published record for western Panama since Wetmore’s classic report more than 50 years ago, underscoring the value of local monitoring to detect poorly documented species.
