The black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) or black-capped night heron, commonly shortened to just night heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, including parts of Europe, Asia, and North and South America. In Australasia it is replaced by the closely related Nankeen night heron (N. caledonicus), with which it has hybridised in the area of contact. Black-crowned Night Herons are small herons with rather squat, thick proportions. They have thick necks, large, flat heads, and heavy, pointed bills. The legs are short and, in flight, barely reach the end of the tail. The wings are broad and rounded. Adults are light-gray birds with a neatly defined black back and black crown. Immatures are brown with large white spots on the wings and blurry streaks on the underparts. Adults have all-black bills; immatures have yellow-and-black bills. Seen by day, these chunky herons seem dull and lethargic, with groups sitting hunched and motionless in trees near water. Black-crowned Night Heron become more active at dusk, flying out to foraging sites, calling 'wok' as they pass high overhead in the darkness. Some studies suggest Black-crowned Night Heron feed at night because they are dominated by other herons and egrets by day. A cosmopolitan species, nesting on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.
The black-crowned night heron is a medium sized heron from the Ardeidae family. They have a long black beak and distinctive bright red eyes. As the name suggests, they have a black “crown” on the top of their head, grey wings, a white head and body, and short yellow legs. They are relatively stocky in comparison to other herons. They measure up to 65 centimetres long, with a wingspan of over 110 centimetres, and weighing between 520 and 800 grams. Males are slightly larger than females once fully grown. Juveniles usually have a more brown body and grey legs, with dark, tear drop shaped spots along their front. They are found around the world, being a resident species through South America, sub-Saharan Africa, southern Asia, southern Europe, and parts of North America. Where do they live (Natural habitat)? Like most herons, the black-crowned night heron lives in a variety of wetland habitats, including freshwater lakes, marshlands, mudflats and mangroves. How long do they live? Black-crowned night herons reach maturity at around 2 years of age, and can live for around 20 years. What do they eat? Black-crowned night herons are carnivores, feeding on a wide variety of different animals. These include small fish, frogs and other amphibians, crustaceans, molluscs such as snails, earthworms, leaches, insects, spiders, small rodents, and even the eggs of other birds.
