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Nyctanassa violacea

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

G5Secure Found in 4 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.106355
Element CodeABNGA13010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPelecaniformes
FamilyArdeidae
GenusNyctanassa
Synonyms
Nycticorax violaceus
Other Common Names
Bihoreau violacé (FR) Matirão, Socó-do-Mangue, Savacu (PT) Pedrete Corona Clara (ES) yellow-crowned night-heron (EN)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Taxonomic Comments
Placed by some authors in genus Nycticorax; transferred to Nyctanassa by AOU (1989). DNA-DNA hybridization data support maintenance of Nyctanassa as distinct from Nycticorax (Sheldon 1987). The hyphen is removed from the English group name because the species named ‘‘Night Heron” do not form a monophyletic group (Hruska et al. 2023) (AOS 2024).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-11-07
Change Date1996-11-20
Edition Date2024-11-07
Edition AuthorsGundy, R. L. (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
This species is widespread throughout North, Central, and South America. The population is declining slightly, likely due to habitat loss and degradation.
Range Extent Comments
This species is widespread in the Western Hemisphere from as far north as Minnesota and Massachusetts, United States south to Peru and southern Brazil, including the Caribbean (Watts 2020). Most of the range in the United States is occupied during the breeding season only (Watts 2020). This species is largely coastal, although there are several populations that extend well inland (Watts 2020). Using Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (2024) records from 2004-2024, range extent is estimated to be
Occurrences Comments
There are many occurrences throughout the range.
Threat Impact Comments
Threats include disturbance and loss/degradation of nesting and foraging habitat, including excessive human disturbance (Watts 2020).
Ecology & Habitat

Description

A stocky heron with a straight, stout, all-dark bill; breeding adult has buffy-white crown, black face with white cheek patch, gray underparts, and long white head plumes; juvenile has dusky upperparts with fine white streaks and spots, and dark-streaked underparts; average length 61 cm, wingspan 107 cm (NGS 1983). Call is a high-pitched "quak," often uttered in series.

Diagnostic Characteristics

Adult differs from adult black-crowned night-heron in having a buffy-white crown (vs. black) and a gray back that does not contrast with the upper wing surface (vs. contrasting black back). Juvenile differs from juvenile black-crowned night-heron in having grayer upperparts with less prominent white spots and streaks, a thinner neck, and a thicker all-dark bill (vs. mostly yellow lower mandible). All ages differ from black-crowned night-heron in having longer legs that, in flight, extend well beyond the end of the tail. Differs from American bittern in having a thicker bill and in lacking flight feathers that are much darker than the back. Lacks the contrasting buffy patches on the upper-wing surface of the much smaller (length 33 cm) least bittern. Has a much thicker bill and a longer neck than does the smaller (length 46 cm) green heron.

Habitat

Marshes, swamps, lakes, lagoons, and mangroves; chiefly coastal. Mostly in large cypress swamps in Louisiana, in mangroves in Florida. Prefers mangroves and gallery forest for roosting (Costa Rica, Stiles and Skutch 1989). Nests in trees in wooded situations near water, occasionally in arid scrub on islands; sometimes on ground. Along U.S. Gulf Coast from Alabama to Texas, seems to prefer inland freshwater habitats and riverine swamps for nesting (Spendelow and Patton 1988). Nested 8-23 m up in loblolly pines in Virginia, 20-1100 m from water, primarily in highly populated residential areas (Watts 1989).

Ecology

Usually solitary but sometimes small groups may forage in a limited area.

Reproduction

Egg laying occurs mainly March-May in Florida, March-June in Louisiana, and April-May farther north. Clutch size usually is 2-5. Incubation, by both sexes, lasts about 27 days. Adults care for young for about 37 days; young may return to the nest site to roost for a few weeks after fledging. Single-brooded, but may lay replacement clutches. May nest in large single-species colony in some areas, but single pairs or small scattered groups on edges of other dense rookeries are common (Spendelow and Patton 1988).
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
MississippiS4B,S2NYes
ConnecticutS1BYes
ColoradoS1BYes
ArkansasS2BYes
IllinoisS2Yes
FloridaS3Yes
TexasS4BYes
LouisianaS2N,S5BYes
MarylandS3BYes
MassachusettsS1B,S2NYes
IndianaS2BYes
NebraskaSNRNYes
DelawareS1BYes
KansasS3BYes
New YorkS2Yes
District of ColumbiaSHBYes
MichiganSNRNYes
New JerseyS2B,S3NYes
South CarolinaS2Yes
TennesseeS3Yes
AlabamaS2N,S4BYes
Rhode IslandS1B,S1NYes
MissouriSNRBYes
North CarolinaS2BYes
GeorgiaS3Yes
WisconsinS1BYes
IowaS3B,S3NYes
OklahomaSNRBYes
PennsylvaniaS1B,S2MYes
West VirginiaSNAYes
KentuckyS2BYes
MinnesotaSNRBYes
OhioS1Yes
South DakotaSNAYes
VirginiaS2B,S3NYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (4)
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Puerto Rico (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mameyes AreaCaribbean National Forest11,150
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
References (33)
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  2. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
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