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Birds
Black-crowned night heron
Black-crowned night heron · Nycticorax nycticorax
The black-crowned night heron lives a secretive life on the water’s edge and usually only appears at dusk – ideal for quiet observers with patience.
Fact file
- Size
- 40 to 65 cm tall, wingspan 85 to 95 cm, weighs about 800 grams
- Males and females
- Male and female look almost the same
- Sounds
- Short, dull croaking and calls at dusk
- Diet
- Small fish, amphibians, insects and crustaceans
- Offspring
- Breeding season from April, 3 to 5 eggs in the nest, both parents incubate
How to identify Black-crowned night heron
With its compact build, short neck and strong black bill, the black-crowned night heron looks rather stocky. You can easily recognise adults by their white underparts, blue-grey back and the glossy black cap running from the crown to the nape. Its glowing red eyes are striking, as are two narrow white plumes on the back of the head in breeding plumage.
In flight the black-crowned night heron looks quite heavy compared with other herons, with broad rounded wings and short legs. Juveniles differ clearly from adults with their brown, spotted plumage and yellowish legs. Confusion is mainly possible with the grey heron or the heron in garden ponds, but the black-crowned night heron is always more compact and darker.
More in the app
With Wildful Stories+ you also get in the app:
- general viewing tips
- one place where you can see Black-crowned night heron
Where Black-crowned night heron live
Discover Black-crowned night heron on your trip.
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