Black-Crowned Night-Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
The Black-Crowned Night-Heron is a stocky native wader that rests quietly by day and hunts around Florida waters after sunset.
The Black-Crowned Night-Heron is a stocky native wader that rests quietly by day and hunts around Florida waters after sunset.
Adults have a black crown and back, pale gray wings, white underparts, red eyes, and short yellow legs. Juveniles are brown with bold pale spots and streaked underparts.
Roosts in dense trees or mangroves during daylight and moves to shallow shorelines at dusk. It often stands still before striking quickly at prey.
Harmless to people. Keep back from feeding areas, roosts, and nesting colonies. Keep dogs away from shoreline birds.
Protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Do not capture, feed, harass, or disturb birds, nests, eggs, or young.
Habitat:
Freshwater Wetlands, Lakes and Ponds, Estuaries and Bays, Mangroves and Salt Marshes
Area / Range:
Statewide
Diet:
Fish, frogs, crayfish, crabs, aquatic insects, small reptiles, rodents, eggs, and other available prey.
Behavior:
Roosts in dense trees or mangroves during daylight and moves to shallow shorelines at dusk. It often stands still before striking quickly at prey.
Dusk, Nighttime, Dawn
Active Times:
Best time to see:
Dusk and early morning near mangroves, pond edges, tidal creeks, and wooded shorelines
Florida Native Status:
Native
Conservation Status:
Least Concern
Safety Level:
Observe From a Distance
Safety Information:
Harmless to people. Keep back from feeding areas, roosts, and nesting colonies. Keep dogs away from shoreline birds.
Benefits to Property:
Consumes aquatic animals and small pests and provides wildlife-viewing value around healthy ponds and tidal habitat.
Property Concerns:
Large roosts may create noise and droppings. Shoreline clearing, polluted runoff, and disturbance reduce habitat quality.
Fun Fact:
Its short neck gives the bird a hunched appearance, though the neck extends quickly when it reaches for prey.
Wildlife Laws:
Protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Do not capture, feed, harass, or disturb birds, nests, eggs, or young.
Identification:
Adults have a black crown and back, pale gray wings, white underparts, red eyes, and short yellow legs. Juveniles are brown with bold pale spots and streaked underparts.