Heron - Black Crowned Night Heron - 002C

by Jor Cop Images

Title

Heron - Black Crowned Night Heron - 002C

Artist

Jor Cop Images

Medium

Photograph - Waterfowl Photographs

Description

Black Crowned Night Heron:

The Black Crowned Night Heron ( more commonly shortened to just "night heron” ) belongs to a group of birds that recognizes 64 species that are freshwater and coastal birds. These birds can also be referred to as egrets or perhaps bitterns.
These birds are known for their long legs and are from the Ardeidae family of birds. In many ways herons can resemble birds from other families like cranes, storks, spoonbills, these birds differ from herons, as there necks are retracted in flight and are not in an outstretched formation. The black crowned night heron has a shorter neck with a more stout medium sized body which can weigh approximately 800 grams.
The bills are generally long and can be harpoon in shape.
Their nesting placement is at times much different than that of the much taller day time herons who will often choose reed beds lower on the ground, etc. It’s the male heron that chooses for the most part a nest that is in high trees or cattails on an island or near a swamp or wet lands, possibly over water which makes it a safer habitat from predators. Night Herons tend to nest in a colonially often with several nest in a single tree, such colonies have been known to last for over fifty years. These nests can consist with a platform built from sticks, twigs and possibly other tough vegetation found on the ground. These nests can be very sturdy, while some can be rather flimsy in design and strength, which can measure approximately 12-19 inches across and a height of 8-13 inches.

Black Crowned Night Herons are fairly common, with there numbers showing a slight decrease between 1966 to 2014. Although since they tend to clump together in large colonies, it makes it tougher to estimate the numbers precisely. The North American Waterbird Conservation Plan estimates them with a population of over 50,000 individual birds on the continent.

Threats to these birds consist from the over development and drainage of their wetland habitat with water quality due to contaminated runoff and supply.
As most animals and birds the Night Heron are susceptible to growing concerns of pollutants like persistent organochlorine pesticides, heavy metals and PCB’s. Night Herons are fairly tolerant with disturbances such as traffic, so this makes them especially useful in revealing any environmental disturbances in urban environments.

This black and white photograph shows us a Black Crowned Night Heron standing in water with in a countryside wetlands area. They can also be seen around most freshwater marshes, swamps, streams, creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes, canals, reservoirs and wet agricultural fields, which provides them with the aquatic habitat of terrestrial animals and vegetation.
Night Herons are opportunist eaters with a diet that can consist of fish, leeches, earthworms, insects, amphibians, turtles, rodents, birds, and eggs. They will also eat carrion of dead animals, plant materials, as well as garbage from landfills.

Black crowned night herons normally feed between evening, night time and early mornings trying to avoid competition with other animals and birds that could use the same habitat during the day time. Although they may hunt and feed through out the day during their breeding season, when they might need extra energy for nesting, etc.

(Please note: The "Watermark" will not appear on final prints of the photograph.
* Copyright Jor Cop Images. * )

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July 25th, 2018

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