The Black-Crowned Night-Heron

This nocturnal feeder begins his active day when the sun goes down, and most other herons are heading back to their nests. The black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is a short-legged heron with a stocky, hunched-over appearance. This bird measures from 22-25" (56-63.5 cm) tall. Adult coloring is grey with a black head cap that descends down over the back. They have a thick, black bill. The legs and feet are yellow except for breeding time, when the legs turn an eye-catching pink color. The underside is usually whitish or pale grey. The black-crowned night-heron has red eyes. During breeding season, the bird grows two white, descending plumes that immediately attract attention from potential mates. This is a far cry from the immature black-crowned night-heron who is dressed in brown and buff colored, variegated feathers. It is easy to confuse the black-crowned, with another nocturnal heron, the yellow-crowned night-heron. Both birds look very similar to the inexperienced eye. Perhaps the best way to tell them apart is during flight. The black-crowned night-heron has shorter legs, therefore while in flight, only the feet extend from behind the body, while the yellow-crowned night-heron has longer legs that are visible along with the feet. While standing, the black-crowned is hunched over. The yellow-crowned stands taller.

The black-crowned night-heron can be seen in areas from southern Canada, down to Argentina. They also are found in areas of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. They tend to live in marshy, shoreline areas, nesting and roosting in trees. Nesting materials are gathered by the male. The female is in charge of the actual construction. The nest begins as a pile of loose sticks, but as the birds mature, they continually rework their nests, filling in the open areas with moss until there is quite a comfortable platform. Because of its tendency to steal eggs and young hatchlings during breeding season, the black-crowned night-heron is disliked by other species of herons. They do their best to discourage this heron from nesting in their colonies.

The typical diet of the black-crowned night heron consists of small fish, frogs, crustaceans, and salamanders, along with anything else that is abundant. Basically, these birds are opportunists, always ready to take advantage of a good situation. The black-crowned night-herons hunt in groups or alone.

It takes three years for the immature birds to achieve their adult plumage. At the age of three years, they are ready to breed, and raise a family. They grow their long white display feathers, and their legs turn pinkish, signaling that they are ready. The female lays a clutch of 3-5 eggs that are a pale blue-green color. Incubation period for the yellow-crowned night-heron is about 25 days. Both male and female take turns caring for the eggs, and then after hatching, they share the duties of feeding the young. The little hatchlings are fed regurgitated food. The young birds are ready to leave the nest at six to seven weeks.

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