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Black-crowned Night Heron

A close-up shot of a Black-crowned Night Heron. In the foreground and background, there are branches. The top half of the heron's head is black; the bottom half and its chest are mostly white. It has a black back, and part of its wing is gray. It has red eyes.

This Black-crowned Night Heron is another bird that took me by surprise.  I'd been photographing some very noisy Limpkins. One was hunting snails in the water, while the other chattered constantly from the shoreline (have a listen in the video at the end of this post!). Then, as I was leaving, I looked up and came face to face with this Black-crowned Night Heron. 

Unlike its noisy neighbors, this heron stood very quietly, calmly staring back at me. It was black and gray and white (sort of the colors of a penguin), with red eyes. Adult Black-crowned Night Herons have plumes, but they only come in once the bird is around the age of 3.[1] They are migratory birds, heading south for the winter, flying by night. They can be found in Florida year round.

Night is also when they do most of their hunting, and like the Green Heron, they engage in some trickery while fishing. Apparently, they lure fish in by using their beaks to mimic the vibrations of an insect in the water.[2]

Their approach to fishing isn't the only thing that's unique. When they're young, Black-crowned Night Herons have a distinctive defense mechanism. If they're threatened by an intruder, they simply barf on it.[3]

Adults are more welcoming to certain non-threatening guests, however. Black-crowned Night herons nest in groups, both together and with other kinds of birds.[4] If a baby bird that's not theirs winds up in their nest, Black-crowned Night Herons will care for it, no matter the species. 

When I read that Black-crowned Night Herons cared for other birds' babies, I was happy. It was the kind of bird I'd hoped this heron, who quietly and calmly stared back at me despite its noisy neighbors, would be.

Its noisy Limpkin neighbors





The Details: 

Common Name: Black-crowned Night Heron
Scientific Name: Nycticorax nycticorax (A tautonym! It's always fun when the scientific name is the same word twice).
Family: Ardeidae
Seen: In a bush above a lake, in the mid-afternoon.
Month: September
Range: The Black-crowned Night Heron has a wide range! It can be found in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean islands, and down through South America.[5] Take a look at the range map on the Cornell Lab's website to see if they are found where you live. 

Learn More About Black-crowned Night Herons:

  1. New Hampshire PBS. (n.d.). Black-crowned Night Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax. Nature Works.
  2. Saint Louis Zoo. (n.d.). Black-crowned Night Heron.
  3. Cosley Zoo. (n.d.). Black-crowned Night Heron.
  4. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Black-crowned Night Heron: Overview. All About Birds.
  5. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Black-crowned Night Heron: Range map. All About Birds.
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