BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON
Nycticorax nycticorax
uSiba (Zulu) Gewone Nagreier (Afrikaans)
HABITAT
Found in marshes, swamps, mangroves and rivers, lakes and streams with good cover throughout
KwaZulu-Natal.
TYPE
This largly nocturnal heron is a medium sized bird with black plumage on the head and back,
grey wings and white underneath. It has red eyes, a greenish black bill and pale yellow feet and
legs. It has long white plumes on the crown when in breeding plumage.
FOOD
It remains motionless for long periods of time while hunting from the waters edge or from a
low perch obove the water. Its food consists of fish, frogs, reptiles, the young and eggs of other
birds, crustaceans, insects, molluscs and small mammals.
BREEDING
The Blackcrowned Night Heron breeds mainly from August to January in KwaZulu-Natal. It builds
flimsy stick platforms in low trees or bushes often over water. The eggs are pale green to bluish
which number from two to five.
STATUS
A common mostly resident bird which is subject to a certain amount of local dispersal.
|
