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Black-crowned Night Heron
(Nycticorax nycticorax)
: "Night Heron"
 German name(s): "Nachtreiher"
Size: 58-65 cm; wing span 1.05-1.15 m
Weight: 380-900 g
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Similar species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Black-crowned Night Herons are small, but long-legged herons.
They have a creamy frons, creamy supercilia and throat, while
the rest of the front is light-grey. The crown is blue-grey.
The light-grey colour of their neck band extends to the
nuchal
plumes
at the nape of the neck. The mantle is blue-grey, while the
outer wing coverts and the flight feathers are grey.
Their irises are brown. The strong bill is dark-grey,
with yellowish-grey lores.
The legs and feet are yellow to greyish-yellow, during
courtship often pale-red.
Second summer
Black-crowned Night Herons still have some diffuse streaking
on the front, some vermiculation on the wing coverts and the
back is brownish-grey where
adults
are black.
Juvenile
Black-crowned Night Herons have more
cryptic
plumage
than adults,
with duller colours. Their front is light grey-brown, with some
streaking on the sides of the neck. The crown and mantle are
grey-brown, rather than blue-grey, and the wing feathers are
grey-brown with a slightly scalloped pattern.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See
Black-crowned Night Heron at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to the
ebird.org
website.
The global distribution of the Black-crowned Night Heron is available
HERE
.
There are four different races of Black-crowned Night Herons,
which are a global, partly migratory species. They are found
on all continents, except Australia (where they are replaced
by the similar Rufous [Nankeen] Night Heron)
and Antarctica. The northern populations are migratory, while
the southern populations, even in cold climates, are sedentary.
Nominate race "nycticorax"
is found permanently in most of Africa, except the Sahara
desert and much of south-western Africa, along the north-western
African coastal fringe, the Nile river catchment and on into
the Sinai and via the Middle East to southern Asia Minor.
There is a second permanent population on the Indian
subcontinent and almost all of South-east Asia, up to
southern China, and in southern-most South Korea and Japan.
On some South-east Asian islands there are wintering populations
only.
During the northern summers these populations extend their
breeding range into parts of southern to central Europe,
temperate central Asia and into much of eastern China, all
of the Korean peninsula and Japan. Surprisingly, there is a
wintering population on Hokkaido, taking advantage of hot
volcanic waters.
The other three races are found in the Americas (for details
see, e.g.,
Wikipedia ).
In Europe Black-crowned Night Herons, race "nycticorax", are
found only during the summers, as breeding migrants. Their
distribution is patchy (for details
see, e.g.,
Wikipedia ). They are found
in parts of Iberia, southern and central France, the western
half of Belgium and the border region to northern France,
the lowlands of the river Po in northern Italy, in southern
Sardinia, in the border region of Albania and Montenegro,
in most of Greece (except the Pelopponesus) and along
the northern coastline of the Black Sea and around most
of the Caspian Sea. There is a separate inland population
in the upper Danube river valley, in the border region
between Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.
Black-crowned Night Herons can be found in both freshwater habitats
such as lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes and other types of wetlands,
and saline water, e.g. along oceanic coastlines.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
Race "nycticorax"
D. Wilczynska reports spotting a Black-crowned Night Heron, nominate race
"nycticorax",
near Santa Giusta, Oristano, Sardinia, Italy, in June 2016.
J. Pires reports spotting Black-crowned Night
Herons, race
"nycticorax",
in the estuary of the Tejo River, Portugal, in February 2017.
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Photos |
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Race "nycticorax"
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ADULT |
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Frontal view of an adult Black-crowned Night Heron
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]
Near-frontal view of a Black-crowned Night Heron
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]
Lateral view of a Black-crowned Night Heron
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Oristano, western Sardinia, Italy, June 2016]
Lateral view of a Black-crowned Night Heron
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]
Dorsal view of a Black-crowned Night Heron
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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Dorsal view of an adult Black-crowned Night Heron, top,
with a second-summer immature bird, bottom - note the
young bird's brownish-grey upperparts where the adult
is black
(photo courtesy of J. Pires )
[Tejo River estuary, Portugal, February 2017]
Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]
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Breeding information |
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| Breeding season: Apr? - Oct? |
Eggs: 3 - 5 |
Incubation period: 21 - 22 days |
Fledging age: 42 - 49 days |
Black-crowned Night Herons are colonial breeders.
The timing of the breeding season depends on geographic latitude.
In the southern parts of their breeding range Black-crowned Night
Herons can have 2 broods per season.
| Nest building: Male |
Incubation: Female & male |
Dependent care: Female & male |
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Nest |
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| Type: Basket |
Material: Sticks, rushes, reeds |
Height above ground: ? |
Frontal/ventral view of a Black-crowned Night Heron near its nest
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]
Frontal/ventral view of a preening Black-crowned Night Heron
near its nest
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]
Black-crowned Night Heron of very different appearance in their nest
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]
Black-crowned Night Heron of very different appearance in their nest
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[April 2019]
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Eggs |
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| Size: 50 x 37 mm |
Colour: Matt light-grey |
Shape: Elliptical |
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Food, Diet |
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All egrets and herons prey on aquatic creatures in fresh water or
estuaries (fish, frogs, snakes or crustaceans).
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Behaviour
Call/s
