ORDER HERODIONES 



Family Ardeidae 

 Subfamily Ardeinse 



Black-crowned Night Heron. — Nycticorax nyctkorax 



rusvius. 24.00 



Uncommon Summer Resident 



Field marks. — Black crown and back; forehead and under 

 parts white or whitish; rump, tail, and wings gray; two 

 slender plumes, eight inches in length, extend from the top 

 of the head backward; legs and feet yellow. 



This bird is a summer resident of Albany County, but is 



not found so numerously as the following species. It is about 



seven inches longer than the Green Heron, its upper parts 



are darker, and under parts much lighter; therefore it is not 



difficult to distinguish between the two. The Night Heron 



generally breeds in colonies, but in Albany County only 



isolated nests have been found. The nests are placed in trees 



and the eggs are pale bluish-green. 



Green Heron. — Butorides virescens. 1 7.05 



Common Summer Resident 



Field marks. — Long beak, neck, and legs; short tail; upper 

 parts dark iridescent green, with infusion of gray; 

 bluish cast to wings; feathers of back long and pointed; 

 sides of throat and neck dark chestnut; narrow black 

 and white stripe down center of throat; under parts gray. 



If you see a darkly colored bird, flying low, with heavy 



wing strokes, about the size of a Crow, but of such different 



iSo 



