Black-crowned Night-Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Wetlands. Grey upperwings and tail; crown and back black; body white; legs yellow.

Bitterns, Egrets, Herons

Not Endemic

Description

Uncommon to locally common resident. Differs from [Slaty Egret] in more robust proportions, uniform overall colouring, dark eyes and dark legs with bright yellow feet. Has unique habit of forming a canopy with its wings when fishing. Single birds or groups – sometimes large flocks– found at the fringes of lagoons, floodplains and dams, less often on rivers. Nomadic.

Quick Facts

Bird Family

Water-associated birds with long bills and necks and long legs. When breeding, many species have long, filamentous plumes on their back or lower breast (or both), while others have more or less permanent long plumes on their napes. In flight, they tuck their heads into their shoulders, thus differing from storks, ibises and cranes. They seldom soar. Many herons are solitary in habit and secretive; others are gregarious and seen more frequently. Most perch in trees and nest in trees or reeds, or even on the ground. All have harsh, squawking voices heard mostly when flushed. Four comparative silhouettes represent (a): Dwarf Bittern; (b): Squacco Heron; (c): Little Egret; and (d): Grey Heron.