The black-crowned night heron is 22.8-26 inches (57.9-66 cm) tall. It has a wingspan of almost 4 feet (1.2 m).
It has a stocky body, short legs, and a short neck. It has a black crown and back, gray wings, and a white underside. Adults have red eyes and yellow legs and feet.
During the breeding season, adults have two long white plumes on their heads. Females and males look alike, but females are a little smaller.
Immature night herons have a gray-brown head, chest, and belly streaked with white. Their eyes are yellow, and they have gray legs.
Black-crowned night herons don’t have adult plumage until they are about three years old.
The black-crowned night heron hunts for food in the early morning hours and at dusk. It stands and waits for prey like frogs and fish to pass by and then snatches them up with its bill.
It sometimes raids nests of other herons and birds, stealing their chicks. It also eats amphibians, crustaceans, insects, and small mammals.
The female black-crowned night heron lays three to five eggs in a nest in reeds, in a thicket*, or occasionally, in a tree. The nest is made of sticks and twigs. The chicks hatch in 24 to 26 days.
Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks regurgitated (swallowed and brought back up) food.
Black-crowned night herons nest in colonies and often nest with other birds like ibises and other herons. The chicks fledge in 42-49 days.
Black-crowned night herons have a lifespan of 10-15 years in the wild.
*A thicket is a dense cluster of bushes, shrubs, or small trees that grow very close together.
Male black-crowned night herons use their nests to attract a mate. The same nest may be used for many years.
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The black-crowned night heron is found in wetlands in New Hampshire. It breeds in the state.
In North America, the black-crowned night heron breeds in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico and Central America.
It winters in the southern United States. Migration happens in large flocks and almost always at night.
It is also found in South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
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