Common in North America & globally. Prefers wetlands. Nocturnal. Found from Canada to Patagonia, Europe, Africa, Asia.
Stocky, with black cap, pale gray body, distinctive call. Juveniles differ in appearance.
Black-Crowned Night Heron is an opportunistic eater, consuming fish, crustaceans, and various other prey in wetland habitats.
Male Black-Crowned Night Heron builds large stick nests in trees or bushes, incubates eggs with female, feeds nestlings regurgitated food.
Thriving in wetlands across the Americas, Black-Crowned Night Herons face pollution but maintain stable populations.
Night-feeding strategy helps avoid competition with diurnal herons in shared habitats, maximizing food availability.
A species attracts prey by rapidly opening/closing its bill in water, mimicking fallen insects, aiding visibility.
The heron thrives in urban environments, nesting in places like the National Zoo in D.C. and becoming Oakland's official bird.