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Home/Species/ Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Black-crowned Night Heron

G5Secure Found in 71 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104974
Element CodeABNGA11010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPelecaniformes
FamilyArdeidae
GenusNycticorax
Other Common Names
Bihoreau gris (FR) black-crowned night-heron (EN) Garça-Dorminhoca (PT) Pedrete Corona Negra, Garza Bruja (ES)
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
Constitutes a superspecies with N. calendonicus (AOU 1998). 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 MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-09
Change Date1996-11-20
Edition Date1995-05-04
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Very large range (southern Canada to southern South America; Old World); fairly common in many local areas.
Range Extent Comments
BREEDS: Washington, southern Idaho, Saskatchewan, Michigan, and Nova Scotia south to southern South America, including Antilles; also Hawaii (Niihau to Hawaii). See Spendelow and Patton (1988) for information on distribution and abundance of coastal U.S. breeding populations (most coastal breeders are along Gulf Coast and Atlantic coast north of Florida). NORTHERN WINTER: north to Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, lower Ohio Valley, Gulf Coast, and southern New England. In the U.S., the highest winter densities occur in the vicinity of inland wildlife refuges near the California-Oregon border, along the northern California coast (Humboldt Bay), in the San Joaquin Valley of California, along the lower Colorado River, near Galveston Bay in Texas, and along the coast near Jacksonville, Florida (Root 1988). Also occurs in the Old World and on other Pacific islands.
Threat Impact Comments
Has declined in some areas due to disturbance, degradation, and/or destruction of nesting and foraging areas (Herkert 1992). Particularly sensitive to disturbance just before and during laying (Tremblay and Ellison 1979). Certain U.S. breeding populations in the intermountain west have high DDT levels and exhibit low productivity; DDT may be accumulated in southwestern U.S. wintering areas. Custer et al. (1983) found that environmental contaminants had a minimal impact on overall reproductive success of U.S. Atlantic coast populations.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

A medium-sized wading bird with a short neck, short legs (yellowish, greenish, or pink; in flight, barely extend beyond tail), and a stout, straight, pointed bill; breeding adults have a black crown and back, with white hindneck plumes, gray wings, and white to grayish underparts; immatures are brown, spotted and streaked with white and buff, gradually changing to adult plumage over three years; average length 64 cm, wingspan 112 cm (NGS 1983). In flight, utters a loud, guttural "quock" or "quark," especially at dusk or after dark.

Diagnostic Characteristics

Adult differs from adult yellow-crowned night-heron in having a black back that contrasts with the gray wings (vs. back and wings same color). Immature differs from immature yellow-crowned nigh-heron in browner upperparts with bolder white spotting, thicker neck, paler face, and longer thinner bill with the lower mandible mostly pale (vs. dark). All ages have shorter legs than does yellow-crowned night-heron (in flight, legs extend barely beyond tail vs. well beyond tail). Immature differs from American bittern in having flight feathers that are not conspicuously darker than the brown areas of the back.

Habitat

Marshes, swamps, wooded streams, mangroves, shores of lakes, ponds, lagoons; salt water, brackish, and freshwater situations. Roosts by day in mangroves or swampy woodland. Eggs are laid in a platform nest in groves of trees near coastal marshes or on marine islands, swamps, marsh vegetation, clumps of grass on dry ground, orchards, and in many other situations. Nests usually with other heron species.

Reproduction

Breeding season varies geographically, occurs in spring-early summer in north, earlier in Florida. Clutch size usually is 3-5 in north, 2-4 in south. Incubation lasts apparently 24-26 days, by both sexes. Young are tended by both sexes, first fly at about 42 days. Usually first breeds at 2-3 years. Nests in small to large colonies. See Custer et al. (1983) for data on certain Atlantic coast colonies.
Terrestrial Habitats
Sand/dune
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5B,N5N
ProvinceRankNative
ColoradoS3BYes
IndianaS1BYes
MichiganS3Yes
DelawareS1BYes
VirginiaS3B,S4NYes
ArkansasS2BYes
MissouriS3Yes
District of ColumbiaS3BYes
IdahoS3B,S4NYes
MaineS2BYes
TennesseeS2BYes
New YorkS3Yes
MontanaS3BYes
New HampshireSHBYes
South CarolinaS3Yes
IowaS3B,S3NYes
FloridaS3Yes
NebraskaS3Yes
West VirginiaSHBYes
TexasS4BYes
South DakotaS3BYes
OhioS1Yes
Navajo NationS1Yes
MarylandS3B,S2NYes
KentuckyS1BYes
North CarolinaS3B,S3NYes
VermontS1BYes
OregonS4Yes
North DakotaSNRBYes
MississippiS2B,S4NYes
HawaiiSUYes
LouisianaS3N,S5BYes
New MexicoS4B,S4NYes
NevadaS5BYes
IllinoisS2Yes
GeorgiaS4Yes
New JerseyS2B,S3NYes
WashingtonS3B,S3NYes
OklahomaS3BYes
PennsylvaniaS2B,S3MYes
ArizonaS3Yes
WisconsinS2BYes
WyomingS2BYes
MassachusettsS2BYes
ConnecticutS2BYes
Rhode IslandS2BYes
UtahS3B,S3NYes
MinnesotaSNRBYes
CaliforniaS4Yes
KansasS2BYes
AlabamaS3B,S4NYes
CanadaN4B,N2N
ProvinceRankNative
New BrunswickS1BYes
British ColumbiaS1Yes
AlbertaS3BYes
SaskatchewanS4BYes
Nova ScotiaS1BYes
OntarioS3B,S2N,S4MYes
ManitobaS4BYes
QuebecS3BYes
Roadless Areas (71)
Arizona (6)
AreaForestAcres
Black CanyonPrescott National Forest10,683
Black CrossTonto National Forest5,966
Cimarron HillsCoconino National Forest5,303
GoldfieldTonto National Forest15,257
PinalenoCoronado National Forest130,920
TumacacoriCoronado National Forest44,594
California (26)
AreaForestAcres
AgnewSequoia National Forest9,561
CajonSan Bernardino National Forest7,548
CamuesaLos Padres National Forest8,209
City CreekSan Bernardino National Forest9,997
Cucamonga BSan Bernardino National Forest11,933
Dry LakesLos Padres National Forest17,043
East GirardShasta-Trinity National Forest27,894
Glass MountainInyo National Forest52,867
Hoover - Green Ck NoHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest7,155
Hoover - Virginia LksHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest5,050
Horse Mdw.Inyo National Forest5,687
Jennie LakeSequoia National Forest2,388
LaddCleveland National Forest5,300
Magic MountainAngeles National Forest15,542
Malduce BuckhornLos Padres National Forest14,177
MatilijaLos Padres National Forest5,218
MonoLos Padres National Forest28,141
Mt. JacksonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest20,721
NordhoffLos Padres National Forest12,031
Red MountainAngeles National Forest8,034
Robinson PeakHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest5,835
Rock Creek WestInyo National Forest3,626
Santa CruzLos Padres National Forest21,182
Timbered CraterLassen National Forest4,096
West GirardShasta-Trinity National Forest37,516
White LedgeLos Padres National Forest18,632
Colorado (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bristol HeadRio Grande NF46,087
Dome PeakRoutt NF35,716
Idaho (4)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Italian PeakCaribou-Targhee National Forest141,158
Pioneer MountainsSalmon-Challis National Forest172,460
Pioneer MountainsSawtooth National Forest119,563
Montana (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bear - Marshall - Scapegoat - SwanLewis and Clark National Forest344,022
Freezeout MountainBeaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest97,305
Nevada (9)
AreaForestAcres
Bald Mtn.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest41,598
Bunker HillHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest27,569
Cave CreekHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest6,145
Pearl PeakHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest71,405
Rose - EvansHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest4,782
Rose - Whites CanyonHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest2,568
Ruby - Cold CkHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest2,339
Ruby - Horse Mtn.Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest613
South SchellHumboldt-Toiyabe National Forest125,614
New Hampshire (1)
AreaForestAcres
KearsargeWhite Mountain National Forest4,554
New Mexico (2)
AreaForestAcres
Apache Kid ContiguousCibola National Forest67,542
Meadow CreekGila National Forest34,167
Oregon (2)
AreaForestAcres
HellholeUmatilla National Forest65,679
Sky Lakes AWinema National Forest3,940
South Dakota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Indian CreekBuffalo Gap National Grassland24,666
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big CreekNational Forests in Texas1,447
Utah (15)
AreaForestAcres
418025Uinta National Forest32,698
418029Uinta National Forest15,673
Bunker CreekDixie National Forest7,474
Burch CreekWasatch-Cache National Forest6,938
Fishlake MountainFishlake National Forest25,217
Hilgard MountainFishlake National Forest28,389
Hog RanchDixie National Forest17,130
HogsbackWasatch-Cache National Forest7,936
Lava BedsDixie National Forest14,944
Lewis PeakWasatch-Cache National Forest11,616
Mt. Um Plateau - Mt TerrillFishlake National Forest17,490
MytogeFishlake National Forest8,286
South FrancisWasatch-Cache National Forest3,374
Stansbury MountainsWasatch-Cache National Forest39,696
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
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