Black-crowned Night Heron: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Kyle Nessen · CC0 · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Nycticorax nycticorax
- Family
- Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns
- Size
- About 60 cm
- Habitat
- Wooded wetlands and ponds
- Found in
- Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania
The key marks
Squat and short-legged, with a black cap and back, grey wings, a white belly and a red eye. Grey Heron is tall, slim and long-legged.
Voice
A hoarse 'kwok' in flight.
Good to know
It hunts at dusk and at night and rests by day, hidden in trees.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Grey Heron. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in wooded wetlands and ponds. It is especially common in China, Chile, Peru and Madagascar. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.