Black-crowned Night Heron

Black-crowned night heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Gızılagac National Park

A species of bird belonging to the family Egrets of the order stork-likes. It is a marsh bird found mainly in slow-flowing freshwater, reedbeds and swamps.

Adult birds have a black crown and back, the rest of the body is white or gray, red eyes and short yellow legs. Their wings are gray. Compared to other night herons, the neck is short, but the strong and powerful bill is short. The belly and sides are white. In spring, 2-4 long, narrow white feathers grow on the back of the head. Males are slightly larger.