Conservation

Designated as a species of Least Concern by BirdLife International (2009). The Capped Heron has a very wide geographic distribution. The global population size or population trends have not been quantified, but the population is not believed to be decreasing, at least not at a rapid rate.

Nonetheless the Capped Heron usually occurs only at low population densities. The relative abundance of the Capped Heron is assessed as "rare to locally uncommon" (Panama; Ridgely and Gwynne 1989); "uncommon and thinly spread" (Colombia; Hilty and Brown 1986); uncommon to fairly common (Venezuela; Hilty 2003); and uncommon (Ecuador, Ridgely and Greenfield 2001).

There appears to be no present conservation risk. The Capped Heron appears adaptable (Hancock and Elliott 1978) and may be expanding its use of man made habitats (Kushlan and Hancock 2005).  However, given that it is mainly a riverine forest species, the loss of this habitat due to logging and the conversion of forest to pasture, might pose long term threats (Kushlan and Hancock 2005).