Night heron

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Night heron

Black-crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Ciconiiformes
Family:	Ardeidae
Genus:	Nycticorax T. Forster, 1817
Genus:	Gorsachius Bonaparte, 1855

Species

See text.

The night herons are medium-sized herons in the genera Nycticorax and Gorsachius. The genus name Nycticorax derives from the Greek for “night raven” and refers to the largely nocturnal feeding habits of this group of birds, and the croaking crow-like call of the best known species, the Black-crowned Night Heron. These herons are migratory outside the tropical parts of their ranges.

In Europe, Night Heron is often used to refer to the Black-crowned Night Heron, since it is the only member of the genus in that continent.

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax

Adults are short-necked and stout herons; they typically have a dark crown and back with the remainder of the body white or grey, and short legs. Young birds are brown, flecked with white and grey, and are quite similar in the extant Nycticorax species. At least some of the extinct Mascarenes taxa appear to have retained this juvenile plumage in adult birds.

Night herons nest in colonies on platforms of sticks in a group of trees, or on the ground in protected locations such as islands or reedbeds. 3-8 eggs are laid.

Night herons stand still at the water's edge, and wait to ambush prey, mainly at night. They primarily eat small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, and small mammals. During the day they rest in trees or bushes.

There are seven extant species. The genus Nycticorax has suffered more than any other ciconiiform genus from extinction, mainly because of their capability to colonize small, predator-free oceanic islands, and a tendency to evolve towards flightlessness.