H.J. Ruiz – Avian101

The Yellow-Crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea), is one of two species of night heron in genus Nyctanassa. Unlike the black-crowned night heron, which has a worldwide distribution, the yellow-crowned is restricted to the Americas. It is known as the bihoreau violacé in French and the pedrete corona clara in Spanish. The body and back are a smooth grey-blue, with a black scaled pattern on the wings. The long legs are yellow and turn coral, pink or red during courtship. The most characteristic part of the yellow-crowned night heron is the head: black and glossy, with white cheeks and a pale yellow crown going from the bill, between the eyes and to the back of the head, giving the bird its common name. Such colours make the face appear striped in a horizontal black-white-black-white pattern. Long, thin, white feathers grow to the back of the crown during mating season. The bill, also black, is thick and deeply set under the eyes which are dark orange or red. The yellow-crowned night heron is a rather stocky wading bird, ranging from 55 to 70 cm (1 ft 10 in – 2 ft 4 in) and from 650 to 850 g (1.43–1.87 lb), the females being a little smaller than the males. The yellow-crowned night heron has a wingspan ranging from 101 to 112 cm (3 ft 4 in – 3 ft 8 in). The neck, slim when extended, exposes its large head (compared to its body), with a large and heavy bill.

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HJ RUIZ – OCTOBER 20TH, 2023