Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
To kick off spooky season, this week we’ll meet an Oregon resident who could easily have waded out of the murky waters of a gothic novel. Meet the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax).
Every syllable of their common name is spot on. The crowns of adults are indeed “none more black” and they prefer to hunt under cover of darkness.
Black-crowned night herons are wickedly good hunters. Their sword-like beaks strike fear into the hearts of a wide variety of prey animals including leeches, earthworms, insects, crayfish, clams, mussels, fish, amphibians, lizards, snakes, turtles and rodents.
Some night herons prefer a specialized diet, eating mostly fish or mostly rodents, but many enjoy the full carnivore buffet.
Black-crowned night herons employ a full range of hunting and fishing tactics to keep their beaks and bellies full. In addition to possessing natural camo coloring and infinite patience and stealth they are also clever birds indeed.
Night herons not only use the “stalk n grab” method of fishing, but they are one of only seven species of heron who use bait to lure in a fishy feast. In urban areas black-crowned will drop bits of bread onto the water’s surface then snatch any fish rising up to the bait. In rural areas they will use dragonflies or other insects as living lures.
Another very effective luring method black-crowned use is bill vibrating (see photos). They’ll stand stock still with part of their bill submerged, then quickly open and close their bill to simulate the movement of a “maybe meal” for the fish below.
Anglers will envy how well this works. It took our pictured juvenile black-crowned seven minutes to tempt a healthy Sacramento perch into their trap, then SNAP and down clamped the heron’s scissor-like beak and it was dinner to go (with a Northern Watermilfoil side-salad).
Black-crowned night herons will use bait and lure tactics in the early morning and early evening while there is still some light. Standing, stalking and slow-walking tactics are used in the dark.
Night herons are mid-sized herons with a body length of about 24 inches and a 45-inch wingspan – AKA “bigger than a crow, smaller than a goose.”
If you haven’t seen a night heron, it’s most likely because they are more active at night. They can be found throughout North America in wetlands including saltmarshes, freshwater marshes, swamps, streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, lagoons, tidal mudflats, canals, reservoirs and wet agricultural fields. Moreover, they are the most widespread heron species in the world, breeding on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.
They do prefer lower elevations and there are many sightings of them all along Hwy. 62 and up I-5. They’ve recently been spotted at Denman Wildlife Area and in Touvelle Park.
For all their goth nature, black-crowned are communal birds like many other crane and heron species. They roost in group rookeries which may contain dozens of nests per tree and up to 50 nests in total. They may also nest in groups with other herons, Ibis and egrets.
Fun fact: Any of those other mums could pawn off her young on the black-crowned. Nesting black-crowned will raise any other species of chick placed in their nest.
Of course, they boot their young (of whatever species) out early. Black-crowned leave the nest approximately two weeks before they can fly and spend their pre-flight time wading in the shallows and learning the tricks of the black-crowned hunting trade.