The Black-crowned Night Heron
When the Black-crowned Night Heron courts a mate, they don't get "cold feet," they get "red feet." Once a match is made and a bond formed, their leg and lores fade to a blushing pink.
Where's my lunch?
Description
The Black-crowned Night Heron is a stock bird. They are 2 feet tall with the bulk of their height in their bodies rather than their legs. As their name implies, they have a black crown and back. The rest of their body is covered with white or gray plumage. The bill, neck, and legs are shorter than is commonly seen on other herons and egrets. Their eyes are a distinctive red and their legs are reddish pink during breeding season and yellow during the off season.Immature Black-crowned Night Herons have a dull gray plumage on their heads, wings and backs with pale streaked plumage on their chest and belly. Their eyes are orange rather than the distinctive red and their legs are a yellowish-green.
Black-crown Night Heron
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Nycticorax nycticora...
Nycticorax nycticora...
Nycticorax nycticora...
Nycticorax nycticora...
Nycticorax nycticora...
Nycticorax nycticora...
Range and Habitat
The Black-crowned Night Heron inhabits fresh and salt-water wetlands throughout the world. They can be found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. The birds residing in cooler climes are migratory but those in tropical climates are permanent residents. The wetland habitats favored by the Black-crowned Night Heron includes riparian forests, weeded swamps, grasslands and marshes. During breeding season they form large colonies and nest in protected locations such as reed beds and tall grasses along the water's edge. Mating and Nesting
The Black-crowned Night Heron nests in colonies. The males begin their courtship by bowing to their potential mate. Along with the bowing, they rock from foot to foot, hiss, clap their bills, and stretch. Once a pair is formed, they spend time preening each other and using their bill to massage their mate's back, neck, and head.The pair work together to build their nest. It's a flimsy structure of sticks, reeds, and twigs. It's usually placed 15 to 30 feet off the ground, just below the canopy. That way they have a better chance of spotting approaching predators.
The female will lay 3 to 5 pale blue eggs. The clutch is incubated for 24 to 26 days will both parents sharing the responsibility. The newly hatched young are fed by regurgitation. As they grow regurgitation is replace with smaller whole prey.
Around 3 weeks after hatching, the young are climbing out of the nest and exploring the nearby branches. They are a noisy brood and with other nests nearby, they can create quite a racket.
The young fledge around 6 weeks of age, but do not acquire their adult plumage for another year, and may not breed for another year or two after that.
Raising the young is often a community effort.
Nesting in large flocks, adults will often loose track of their nest. Rather than panic, they brood whatever chicks they come across.
Diet
The Black-crowned Night Heron feeds on aquatic invertebrates such as fish, lizards, frogs, and snakes. They will stand quietly, still as stone, and wait for its prey to move into range. They are opportunistic feeders and if there are nests of terns and gulls nearby, they will make a meal of the chicks. When in the grasslands they stalk rodents such as voles and mice. 
Beauty in Flight
The Black-crowned Night Heron would drive a strict schoolmarm crazy. When at rest its shoulders are hunched forward as if trying to disguise its height
Black-crowned Night Heron
Voice
The Black-crowned Night Heron is a noisy bird with a loud, harsh squawk. 
I may be young but like all teenagers, I know what I'm doing.
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naturegirl7 wrote...
Welcome to the Naturally Native Squids group. Don't forget to add your lens links to the appropriate plexos and vote for them.
Posted October 25, 2008
JaguarJulie wrote...
That is another really attractive bird! Love the deep bluish-gray color that I see on one of them. You make your bird lenses with such a loving hand!
Posted October 24, 2008
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Resources used to construct this page.
Peterson, T.P. & Peterson, V.M. 2002. Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Fifth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, N.Y.
Bird Guide: Black-crowned Night Heron, Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology
Fact Sheet: Black-crowned Night Heron
Smithsonian National Zoological Park
