THE BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON. 



{Nycticorax nycticorax ncpvius.) 



The range of this interesting and pe- 

 culiar Heron extends over the temper- 

 ate and tropical portions of America 

 from Ontario and Manitoba, southward 

 to Chili and the Falkland Islands. It 

 breeds northward to the limits of its 

 range and winters from the Gulf States 

 southward. It is commonly called the 

 Oua-bird or the Squawk, because of its 

 unmusical and decidedly unpleasant 

 note, and its habits are not generally 

 known by our northern students of bird- 

 life. In certain localities in the Gulf 

 States where the Night Herons nest 

 among the flags of large swamps, they 

 are more often seen and are better 

 known. In other localities, especially in 

 the northern portion of their range, they 

 are very shy and retiring, nesting and 

 roosting usually in the tallest trees in 

 dense woods in swamps or near water 

 courses. There they are far better 

 known to the duck hunter than to the 

 city-bred bird student. 



The name Nycticorax, meaning night 

 raven, was given to these birds because 

 of their feeding by night and remaining 

 quite inactive during the daylight hours. 

 While walking homeward in the evening 

 through the dark swamp woods of the 

 Kankakee region in Indiana, the gloomy 

 effect of night in the woods is height- 

 ened by the ghostly forms of these birds 

 as they sail overhead uttering their gut- 

 tural notes. 



The Night Herons nest in large col- 

 onies and after sunset they may be reg- 

 ularly seen straggling to their feeding 

 grounds. Though there is rarely more 

 than a pair close together, there is a 

 steady line of the birds coming toward 

 and going from the nesting site of the 

 colony, or heronry, as it is often called. 

 On the Gulf Coast of Texas the nests of 

 these Herons are built in the heavy 

 growth of rushes among those of the 

 little blue heron, the Louisiana heron, 

 and the green heron. The nests of the 

 Night Herons cannot be distinguished 

 from the others, as they are all clumsy 

 masses of old cane stalks and rushes 



which are placed on the broken down 

 tops of the standing cane stalks. 



Mr. Wilson says regarding a heronry 

 of Night Herons: "On entering the 

 swamp, in the neighborhood of one of 

 these breeding places, the noise of the 

 old and the young would almost induce 

 one to suppose that two or three hun- 

 dred Indians were choking or throttling 

 each other. The instant an intruder is 

 discovered, the whole rise in the air in 

 silence, and remove to the tops of the 

 trees in another part of the woods, while 

 parties of from eight to ten make occa- 

 sional circuits over the spot, to see what 

 is going on. When the young are able, 

 they climb to the highest part of the 

 trees, but, knowing their inability, do 

 not attempt to fly. Though it is prob- 

 able that these nocturnal birds do not 

 see well during the day, yet their fac- 

 ulty of hearing must be exquisite, as it 

 is almost impossible, with all the precau- 

 tions one can use, to penetrate near 

 their residence without being discov- 

 ered." 



The adult birds are colored as shown 

 by our illustration, while the juvenile 

 birds are quite unlike their parents and 

 have a ground color of brownish which is 

 mottled or spotted with white, and they 

 also lack the long white plumes. 



The Night Herons seem greatly at- 

 tached to a locality where their ances- 

 tors have nested for years and it seems 

 almost impossible to reduce their num- 

 bers even though hundreds are killed. 

 They are very fond of the society of 

 their fellows and many colonies contain 

 several hundred pairs. Fish is by far 

 the chief item of their menu. On the 

 ground under a heronry, there is always 

 more or less refuse in the form of the 

 decomposing remains of fish and other 

 animal food, such as frogs and mice. 

 From this a stench is constantly arising 

 which is a nuisance when they are lo- 

 cated near a settlement. Probably for 

 this reason rather than for any other 

 cause, the Night Herons are hunted. 

 Their plumage is certainly not used for 

 hats and their fiesh is not fit for food. 

 Fraxk AIokley Woodeuff. 



