BLACK CROWNED NIGHT HERON ADULT (top) and JUVENILE (bottom) Nycticorax nycticorax Wild birds at the Santa Barbara Zoo ©Laura Quick
I saw these birds perched in several places around the Zoo, but when the keeper was feeding the penguins, both the adult and juvenile came around hoping to grab some fish. They are migratory birds in much of the world, but year-round resident in California. The white plumes on the back of the adult’s head get quite long and showy. They have a tendancy to hunch up when they perch and extend their necks (to look like other herons) when they are hunting.
They primarily eat small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, small mammals, and small birds.
Adaptations: Among the seven heron species observed to engage in bait fishing; luring or distracting fish by tossing edible or inedible buoyant objects into water within their striking range – a rare example of tool use among birds.
Other posts you might like:
Black Crowned Night Heron
Yellow Crowned Night Heron
Little Blue Heron
Grey Heron
