The black-crowned night heron is a small, stocky wading bird with a black "cap" on its head. (Jason Weckstein/Flickr)
The black-crowned night heron is a small, stocky wading bird with a black “cap” on its head. It lives year-round in marshes and wetlands throughout the Chesapeake Bay region.
Appearance:
Small, stocky body
Usually hunches its neck into its body
White head with a glossy, black cap
Glossy, greenish-black back
Gray wings, rump and tail
White or light gray underparts
Thick, black bill
Red eyes
Yellowish-orange legs and feet
Males have two long, white plumes on the back of their head during breeding season
Juveniles are mostly brown with buff and white streaks on the head, chest, back and wings
Grows 23-28 inches tall
Habitat:
Lives in wetlands, including marshes, swamps, and the edges of lakes, streams and rivers
Range:
Found year-round throughout the Chesapeake Bay region
Feeding:
Eats mostly small fish, amphibians, crustaceans and aquatic insects
Silently stalks its prey in shallow waters, then plunges into the water and grasps its prey in its bill
Feeds throughout the night to avoid competition with other herons
Flight:
Holds its bill straight ahead and its legs straight back when flying
Look for stocky body and pale gray underparts in flight
Voice:
Makes a flat-sounding quok or quark, most often while flying or on a perch
Nests and breeds in colonies with other herons. The Bay’s largest breeding colony is on Fishermans Island at the mouth of the Bay. Other colonies are located near Baltimore Harbor, Mobjack Bay in Virginia, and on islands near Tangier and Pocomoke sounds.
May begin breeding as early as February. New breeders continue to arrive at the colonies through the end of April.
Males perform several breeding displays to attract a mate
Builds a platform nest of sticks in a tree. One tree can have more than a dozen nests in it.
Females lay 3-5 eggs from mid-March to late April. Most eggs hatch between late April and late May.
The young fledge after about six weeks
Most herons leave the breeding colony between mid-August and October
Other Facts:
If disturbed, young black-crowned night herons may regurgitate their food onto the intruder.
