Nycticorax nycticorax
The Black-crowned Night Heron is a medium-sized heron, 20 inches long with a 44-inch wingspan. It has a stocky build, short legs and a short neck. The wings are blue gray, and it has a black crown and back, white face, neck, chest and belly. Two long white plumes decorate the back of the head during breeding season. The eyes are red and the legs are yellow. The juveniles have yellow eyes and are heavily streaked with brown and white. The wings are brown with white spots. Full adult plumage is reached by the third year. The juvenile yellow-crowned night heron is very similar to the black-crowned but has a thicker bill and longer legs.
This bird is nocturnal, spending its nights catching and feeding on frogs, fish, small mammals and crustaceans. It also plunders the nests of other birds including herons, terns and gulls. It is inactive during the day, spending its time roosting in trees. This heron nests in colonies in marshes and wetlands. The nest is built of reeds, sticks or twigs and becomes rather bulky over the years. The nest is found among marsh reeds or in trees high above the ground.
The size of the clutch is anywhere from three to five bluish-green eggs; there can be one or two broods a year. The incubation period is from 24 to 26 days. Both parents tend the nest. The young fledge in 42 to 49 days.
The black-crowned night heron is found throughout North America, South America, Eurasia and Africa. Migrations take place in spring from February through May and in fall from July through October.
Order: Ciconiiformes | Family: Ardeidae | Genus: Nycticorax
photos courtesy I-pix.com
