Black-crowned Night-Heron

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Yaboa Real,
Garza Nocturna Coroninegra

Photo: G. Beaton

IDENTIFICATION: The Black-crowned Night-Heron has a black back, white underparts, and a white head with a black cap. It has a bright red eye. The immature birds are brown with white streaking. Length: 58-66 cm.; weight: 727-1,014 g.

VOICE: The call is a loud, deep, squawking note. Audio (M. Oberle).

HABITAT: Freshwater swamps and mangroves.

HABITS: Feeds at night on a variety of prey species including fish, frogs, invertebrates, and the eggs of other birds, but it is especially fond of crabs. Individual birds feed alone and often return to favorite foraging locations. It breeds in colonies, often with other herons or egrets. The male has an elaborate courtship display in which he erects his feathers, stretches his neck, and bows to the female. He starts to build a stick nest in a tree, and later passes sticks with much ceremony to the female to complete the nest construction. Both sexes incubate the 2-5 eggs for 24-26 days and then brood the young until about 10 days after hatching, when the chicks can control their body temperature. Both sexes feed the chicks; the chicks pull the parentÆs bill to force the parent to regurgitate food. After about four weeks, the chicks climb onto nearby branches and are fed there. Chicks follow the adult to feeding areas when they can fly at 6-7 weeks of age. Usually does not breed until 2-3 years of age.

STATUS AND CONSERVATION: An uncommon and local, permanent resident in marshes in Puerto Rico. Some birds breeding in eastern North America migrate to the Caribbean in winter. The drainage of wetlands has decreased habitat for this species, and persistent pesticides such as DDT have decreased reproductive success in the past.

RANGE: Breeds from south-central Canada to Tierra del Fuego. It is also found in Europe, Asia and Africa. In Puerto Rico, a regular location to find this species has been at the Boquer≤n Wildlife Refuge.

TAXONOMY: CICONIIFORMES; ARDEIDAE. A hybrid Black-crowned Night-heron x Yellow-crowned Night-Heron was observed in 1979 in the extensive marsh bordering the Luis Muñoz international airport in Isla Verde.

Photo: R. Rodrφguez Mojica


Photo: G. Beaton


Immature - Photo: G. Beaton

References

Bent, A.C. 1926. Life histories of North American marsh birds. Smithsonian Instit. U.S. National Museum Bull. 135. (Reprinted by Dover Press, NY, 1963).

Davis, W. E. 1994. Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctiocorax nyctiocorax). No. 74 in The birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia, PA, and Am. Ornithol. Union, Washington, D.C.

Davis, W. E. 1999. Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons. Birding 31(5):410-415.

del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1992. Handbook of Birds of the World, Vol. 1. Ostrich to ducks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The birderÆs handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Schuster/Fireside, NY.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR.

Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton.

Saliva, J.E. 1994. Vieques y su fauna: Vieques wildlife manual. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Boquerón, PR.

Black-crowned Night-Heron, Spanish text

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