Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

True to their name, these small herons with thick proportions, such as thick necks, large flat heads, and heavy pointed bills, are most active at dusk and in the dark of night. If the moon is out, you may see their silhouettes as they hunt along the water’s edge.

Habitat

Look for Black-crowned Night-Herons in shallow wet places such as wetlands and shallow creeks, rivers , and lakes, across the prairies and parts of southern Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick, and much of the United States in summer.  Winter sees them migrate to coastal areas in the southern United States,
Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

You can find Black-crowned Night-Herons at Oak Hammock Marsh!

Food

Black-crowned Night-Herons are hunters of aquatic creatures, including insects, crayfish, leeches, mussels, fish, frogs, salamanders, snakes, turtles, rodents, small birds, and eggs.

Behaviour

Despite being known as a water bird, Black-crowned Night-Herons, like other herons, prefer to nest in
colonies in trees but will also nest in cattails. Their nests are made of sticks and will hold three to five eggs. The young leave the nest at one month, but roam on foot until they can fly at six weeks. They grab their food with their bills rather than stab it like other herons.

Conservation

Overall, Black-crowned Night-Herons are of low conservation concern. However, they do face threats from habitat loss due to wetland drainage and water contamination from runoff.

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