- Appearance: black head with white stripes on face, yellow eyes, black pointed beak, long yellow feathers on top of head, stocky grey body with thick neck, yellow legs
- Male is larger, but have same coloration as female
- Height:22-28 inches (about 2 feet)
- Wingspan:44-45 inches (about 4 ft)
- Status: common, populations fluctuating
- Nearly hunted to extinction in 1800s for their feathers, today they are vulnerable to habitat degradation
- Habitat
- Fresh and saltwater marshes in coastal areas
- May also breed in forested areas inland as long as they are near a body of water
- Found in Eastern United States and seasonally in South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands
- For reasons unknown, yellow-crowned night heron populations have been moving north – may be due to habitat loss and/or climate change
- Diet
- Hunts during both day and night (diurnal and nocturnal)
- Freshwater and saltwater crustaceans, crabs are preferred
- Inland they almost exclusively eat crayfish
- May also eat small fish, bivalves, marine worms, leeches, tadpoles, frogs, snakes, turtles, insects, earthworms, snails, small mammals, and young birds
- Stand or wade slowly above water, wait motionless until prey approaches
- Catch prey by striking them with dagger-like beak and swallowing them whole
- When hunting crabs, may break crabs apart or impale them before eating
- Forage alone – each individual uses about 15 square feet of space
- Aggressively defend territory from other herons
- Most commonly seen within 3 hours before or after high tide, so that water comes up further and brings prey with it
- Migration
- Year-round residents in coastal areas such as Long Island
- Migratory populations breed along Atlantic coast as well as inland U.S.
- Spring migration occurs March, fall migration occurs September
- Breeding habitat includes barrier islands, coastal lowlands, inland lowlands, forests with open understories, mangroves, and edges of lagoons
- Migratory birds overwinter in Mexico, the northern coast of South America, and the Caribbean Islands
- More solitary than other herons – commonly migrate alone
- Average flight speed is about 15-20 mph
- Nesting
- Nest near or over water in marsh grasses or sedges, rock ledges, or trees
- Nests may be 60+ feet off the ground
- May nest alone, or in colonies of up to several hundred birds
- Sometimes nest with other species of herons (heron colony = “heronry”)
- Male chooses nest site(s) and gathers materials while female builds nest(s)
- If pair start multiple nests, they only finish the one in the best location
- Yellow-crowned night herons return to same nesting site year after year
- One mate per year, unknown whether pairs remain together
- Nest is a platform of sticks with slight hollow in center filled with grass/moss
- In large colonies, may steal twigs from another’s nest
- Average brood is 2-6 blue-green eggs
- Both parents care for chicks
- Both parents and young protect nest from intruders
- Parents will begin stretching their necks and bobbing their heads if an intruder comes close
- Chicks are aggressive, may peck each other or push other chicks out of nest – this is especially common in years when food is scarce
- Juveniles are brown with white stripes and dots and have red eyes and pale yellow legs, their beaks may also have yellow near base
- Juveniles learn to fly at about 40-50 days
- After 10-11 weeks, young leave nest in separate directions
- Mature in about 2 years, when they normally start nesting
- Average lifespan unknown, but oldest yellow-crowned night heron recorded was about 6 years old
- Nest near or over water in marsh grasses or sedges, rock ledges, or trees