The Black-crowned Night-Heron is a stocky, short-necked heron that hunts when most herons rest — at dusk and through the night — and spends much of the day roosting hunched and motionless in waterside trees. The adult is handsomely simple, pale gray and white with a glossy black crown and back and large, staring red eyes; young birds are brown, streaked, and spotted, quite different in appearance. Its harsh, barking "quawk!" call, often given in flight after dark, is a characteristic sound of the night marsh.
These night-herons nest in colonies, sometimes with other wading birds, in trees and dense wetland thickets, and in Michigan they breed locally in marshes, wooded swamps, and along lake and river edges, mainly in the south of the state. By hunting largely at night they avoid competition with day-active herons, standing patiently at the water's edge to ambush fish, frogs, and crayfish. Their crepuscular habits mean they are often overlooked, flushing at dusk as pale, chunky shapes crossing the darkening sky.
An opportunistic, mostly nocturnal hunter, taking fish, frogs, crayfish, aquatic insects, and other invertebrates, and at times eggs, small mammals, and refuse. It stands still or stalks slowly at the water's edge, largely at dusk and night, striking to seize prey with its heavy bill.
It feeds mainly at dusk and through the night, unlike most herons that hunt by day. This nocturnal habit lets it avoid competition with day-active waders, and it roosts hunched in trees during the day.
That barking "quawk!" from the night sky is often a Black-crowned Night-Heron in flight. The call is a familiar sound around marshes and lakeshores after dusk.
Adults are stocky and short-necked, pale gray and white with a black crown and back and red eyes. Young birds are brown, heavily streaked, and spotted with white, looking quite different from the adults.
Nothing like the adults — juveniles are brown, heavily streaked below and spangled with white spots above, with orange eyes. They take about three years to reach the adult's black cap and pale gray body.
A heronry or rookery. Black-crowned Night-Herons often nest within mixed colonies of other wading birds, and the noise from an active heronry at dusk carries a considerable distance.
Other birds you might be looking at instead.
Pick the park — it takes less than ten seconds.
Start typing the bird's name, then pick it from the list.
Suggest a birding spot to add to the map. I'll review it before it appears.
Thanks! Your suggestion has been sent for review.
Found something wrong or out of date? Tell me what to fix — it goes straight to my inbox. (No email needed.)
Thank you — your note is on its way. I appreciate the help keeping this accurate.