Yellow-crowned Night Heron

The Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea, formerly placed in the genus Nycticorax), also called the American Night Heron or squawk, is a fairly small heron, similar in appearance to the Black-crowned Night Heron. It is found throughout a large part of the Americas, especially (but not exclusively) in warmer coastal regions.

A related heron, the Bermuda Night Heron, was endemic to Bermuda, but became extinct following human colonisation.

Description

Adults are about 61 cm long and weigh 625 g. They have a white crown and back with the remainder of the body grayish, red eyes and short yellow legs. They have a white stripe below the eye. Juveniles resemble young Black-crowned Night-Herons, being mainly brown flecked with white or gray.

Behaviour

In warmer locations, some are permanent residents; others migrate to Central America and the West Indies. They may occasionally wander north to the lower Great Lakes or Ontario after the breeding season.

Feeding

These birds stalk their prey or wait in ambush at the water's edge, mainly at night. They mainly eat crustaceans, mollusks, frogs, aquatic insects and small fish.

Breeding

Their breeding habitat is swamps and marshes from the eastern United States to north-eastern South America. They often nest in colonies, usually on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs overhanging water. they lay 3–5 pale blue-green eggs.

Translation of "Yellow-crowned Night Heron"

German: Krabbenreiher, Spanish: Nyctanassa violacea, French: Bihoreau violacé, Lithuanian: Geltongalvis naktikovas, Hungarian: Sárgakoronás bakcsó, Dutch: Geelkruinkwak, Polish: Ślepowron żółtoczelny, Portuguese: Savacu-de-coroa.