The Heron That Fishes at Night- Black Croned Night Heron

The Black Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) has a range that covers 5 continents, including North America. It is a very attractive, stocky, medium-sized member of the heron family. As its name implies, it is most active at dusk and during the night, when it does most of its hunting. The Black Crowned Night Heron is known for its black head cap. They have a blue-black back, white underbelly and grey wings. Both male and female have a length between 22-26 inches, with a wingspan of 45-47 inches.

The Black Crowned Night Heron typically inhabits wetland areas such as marshes, swamps, streams and lakes. In addition they can be found inhabiting flooded farm fields. Their diet consists primarily of fish. They will often nest in the same trees with other herons and ibises. Nesting in colonies, there can be over one dozen nests in a single tree. Adult Black Crowned Night Herons are known to sit on eggs and hatch chicks that are not their own. The nests consist of a platform of cattails and sticks. They lay 1-7 greenish color eggs. Young herons are born with open eyes and are covered with grey and white down feathers. Juveniles have brown and white spots and streaks underneath.

The diet consists of amphibians, snakes, lizards, rodents, eggs and fish. This bird in fact grasps, rather than stabs its prey. They are known to feed in the same areas that other herons feed during the daylight hours. Due to its widespread distribution, the Black Crowned Heron can be valuable in determining the health of an ecosystem.

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