Black-crowned Night Heron
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Nycticorax nycticorax
DESCRIPTION:
Heavy body, short thick neck, short legs and heavy bill; adults: head with black cap, short crest, 2-3 narrow white plumes at back of head;eyes scarlet; underparts white; wings and tail gray; legs and feet usaully yellow. Roosts in trees close to feeding places in marshes; call is a loud, guttural quark as it flies, most often heard at dusk or after dark. Largely nocturnal, common around marshes, 45 inch wingspan and flight speed of 20-35 miles per hour.
LIFE HISTORY:
Life Span: Captive 10-17 years; wild 5-10 years (avg. 3 years)
Mating Season: March to May
Incubation Period: 24-26 days; fledgling phase 42-49
Clutch Size: 3-5 pale blue-green eggs
Nesting: Nest of coarse twigs, reeds, shrub, or tree up to 160 feet high.
ECOLOGY:
Niche: Experts at fishing; stands motionless in shallow water, then with a quick thrust of bill into water catches small fishes, thier main food. Good swimmers; know to eat algae and other plants, but mostly eats shad, herring, suckers minnows, toads, crayfish, mice, dragonflies; very adaptable.
Habitat: Diverse-freshwater streams, lakes, rice fields, dry grasslands, salt marshes.
Adopt-an-Animal at CALM
