Long Legged Waders

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax
Black-crowned Night-Heron thumbnail
Length: 25 in. (67 cm )
With a range that covers most of the world, this peculiar heron is quite successful. It can be found in marshy areas, swamps, pond edges, lakes, mangroves, agricultural fields and moist grassy areas. It feeds on fish, mice, frogs, and salamanders, but it also frequently raids nests of other herons, ibis and terns to eat nestlings. Its own nest is a large, bulky affair constructed of twigs and sticks and placed in reeds, low trees or shrubs near the water\'s edge. Often the nests are built in small but loose colonies. Mainly active at dusk and night, most of the daylight hours are spent roosting quietly in a tree or in low aquatic vegetation.

The four-digit banding code is BCNH.

Male | Charles Kazilek

Male | Charles Kazilek


Marsh / swamp

Open water

Urban city
Bird Sound Type: Buzzing
Sex of Bird: Male
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Bibliographic details:

  • Article: Black-crowned Night-Heron
  • Author(s): Dr. Biology
  • Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
  • Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
  • Date published: July 13, 2017
  • Date accessed: March 24, 2024
  • Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/black-crowned-night-heron

APA Style

Dr. Biology. (2017, July 13). Black-crowned Night-Heron. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved March 24, 2024 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/black-crowned-night-heron

American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Chicago Manual of Style

Dr. Biology. "Black-crowned Night-Heron". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 July, 2017. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/black-crowned-night-heron

MLA 2017 Style

Dr. Biology. "Black-crowned Night-Heron". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 24 Mar 2024. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/black-crowned-night-heron

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
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