Bitter Waxcap vs Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

Hygrocybe mucronella compared with Ardea herodias

Key Differences

• Bitter Waxcap is Near Threatened while Great Blue/Cocoi Heron is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Waxcap	Great Blue/Cocoi Heron
Kingdom	Fungi (mantar)	Animalia (hayvan)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Bazitli mantarlar)	Chordata (Kordalılar)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Aves (kuş)
Order	Agaricales (Lamelli mantarlar)	Pelecaniformes (Pelikanlar)
Family	Hygrophoraceae	Ardeidae
Genus	Hygrocybe	Ardea
Species	Hygrocybe mucronella	Ardea herodias

Conservation Status

Bitter Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitter Waxcap	Great Blue/Cocoi Heron
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bitter Waxcap

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Bitter Waxcap

The Bitter Waxcap (Hygrocybe mucronella) is a species in the genus Hygrocybe. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Great Blue/Cocoi Heron

Great Blue/Cocoi Heron (Ardea herodias) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway