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Black-crowned
Night-Heron
Identification Tips |
(Credit:
U. S. Geological Survey) |
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General
Information
- Sexes similar
- Fairly small, stocky, short-legged and short-necked
heron
- Bill medium-sized and pointed
- Tucks neck in close to body in flight and at rest,
rarely extending it
Adult
- Red eyes, legs yellow
- Black bill
- Black crown and back
- White face, throat, foreneck, chest and belly
- Blue-gray wings
- Two long, white, filamentous plumes extending from
back of head in alternate plumage
Juvenile
- Eyes yellowish to amber, legs dull greyish
- Yellow base to bill
- Brown head, neck, chest and belly streaked with buff
and white
- Wings and back darker brown with large white spots
at the tips of the feathers; spots especially large
on the greater secondary coverts
Immature
- Acquires full adult plumage in its third year
- First year birds are similar to juvenile, but have less
extensive spotting on upperwings and a dark cap
- Second year birds resemble the adult, but have a
brown neck and wings contrasting with darker brown
cap and back
Similar species
Adults are unmistakable. Immatures can be separated from American
Bittern by pale spotting on the upperwing, lack of black neck
spot, different shape, stouter bills and more even upperwing coloration
in flight.
Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
has smaller spots on greater secondary coverts, smaller spots on head
and neck, thicker bill, and longer legs. Immature Black Crowns can
show a variety of plumage characters so are best separated from immature
Yellow-crowns by their smaller, thinner bill and shorter legs. |
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