Illustration © David Allen Sibley.
Learn more about these drawings.
Text © Kenn Kaufman, adapted from
Lives of North American Birds
Photo: Arthur Morris/Vireo
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
| Conservation status | Populations have probably declined in 20th century owing to habitat loss and, in mid-century, effects of DDT and other persistent pesticides. Following the banning of DDT, many local populations have increased in recent years. Water pollution is still a problem in some areas, but overall population probably stable or increasing. |
|---|---|
| Family | Herons, Egrets, Bitterns |
| Habitat | Marshes, shores; roosts in trees. Found in a wide variety of aquatic habitats, around both fresh and salt water, including marshes, rivers, ponds, mangrove swamps, tidal flats, canals, ricefields. Nests in groves of trees, in thickets, or on ground, usually on islands or above water, perhaps to avoid predators. |
Photo Gallery
Feeding Behavior
Usually forages by standing still or walking slowly at edge of shallow water. May perch above water on pilings, stumps, small boats. Forages mostly from late evening through the night, but also by day during breeding season or in unusual weather.
Eggs
3-4, sometimes 1-7. Pale green. Incubation is by both sexes, 21-26 days. Young: Both parents feed young, by regurgitation. Young clamber about in nest tree at 4 weeks, able to fly at about 6 weeks. After 6-7 weeks, may follow parents to foraging areas and beg to be fed there.
Young
Both parents feed young, by regurgitation. Young clamber about in nest tree at 4 weeks, able to fly at about 6 weeks. After 6-7 weeks, may follow parents to foraging areas and beg to be fed there.
Diet
Mostly fish. Diet quite variable; mostly fish, but also squid, crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, snakes, clams, mussels, rodents, carrion. Sometimes specializes on eggs and young birds, and can cause problems in tern colonies.
Nesting
Usually first breeds at age of 2 years. Breeds in colonies, of this species alone or mixed with other herons, egrets, ibises, sometimes with Franklin's Gulls. Some colonies occupied for several decades. May begin nesting earlier in season than other herons. Male chooses nest site and displays there to attract mate. Displays include stretching neck up and forward with feathers ruffed up and slowly bowing while raising feet alternately, giving hissing buzz at lowest point in bow. Nest: Site varies with colony situation, from on ground to more than 150' high, in trees, shrubs, marsh vegetation; most commonly 10-40' up and on firm support. Nest (built mostly by female with materials supplied by male) a platform of sticks, flimsy or substantial.
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- All Seasons - Common
- All Seasons - Uncommon
- Breeding - Common
- Breeding - Uncommon
- Winter - Common
- Winter - Uncommon
- Migration - Common
- Migration - Uncommon
Songs and Calls
Loud, barking kwok! or quawk! often heard at night or at dusk. Utters a variety of croaks, barks, and other harsh calls in nesting colonies.How climate change could affect this bird's range
In the broadest and most detailed study of its kind, Audubon scientists have used hundreds of thousands of citizen-science observations and sophisticated climate models to predict how birds in the U.S. and Canada will react to climate change.
Read more: climate.audubon.org
Each map is a visual guide to where a particular bird species may find the climate conditions it needs to survive in the future. We call this the bird’s “climatic range.”
The colors indicate the season in which the bird may find suitable conditions— blue for winter, yellow for summer (breeding), and green for where they overlap (indicating their presence year-round).
The darker the shaded area, the more likely it is the bird species will find suitable climate conditions to survive there.
The outline of the approximate current range for each season remains fixed in each frame, allowing you to compare how the range will expand, contract, or shift in the future.
The first frame of the animation shows where the bird can find a suitable climate today (based on data from 2000). The next three frames predict where this bird’s suitable climate may shift in the future—one frame each for 2020, 2050, and 2080.
You can play or pause the animation with the orange button in the lower left, or select an individual frame to study by clicking on its year.
Black-crowned Night-Heron In the News More News
News
Oakland Has Its First Official Bird Thanks to These Dedicated Kids
After two years and a lot of hard work, a student-run campaign to make the Black-crowned Night-Heron the city's mascot sees success.
Audubon In Action
‘Let’s Go Birding Together’ Creates a Dedicated Space for LGBTQ Bird Lovers
It's more than a bird walk: It's an inclusive experience for anyone who wants to connect to birds, the natural world, and others in a positive way.
Murmurations
Sharing the Bay Area's Rich Tapestry of Birdlife — with Cindy Margulis
"You can talk to anybody about a bird; it’s a way of bringing people together."
