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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies (Order Pelecaniformes)

-Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns (Family Ardeidae)

-Typical Herons and Egrets (Subfamily Ardeinae)

-Yellow-Crowned Night Herons (Genus Nyctanassa)

-Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)


The yellow-crowned night-heron is a medium sized, short-legged wading bird. Adults are blue-gray with a black-and-white patterned head. The head of the adult is black with a yellow-white crown and a white cheek patch. Eye color is red in adults. Yellow-crowned night-herons are specialist feeders and prey almost exclusively on crustaceans, such as fiddler crabs, marsh crabs, and blue crabs in marine habitats, and on crayfish in freshwater habitats. The large bill of the night-heron is well adapted for crushing the shells of crustacean prey.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Nyctanassa violacea

Diet

  • Primarily crabs, which make up the majority of its diet.

  • Also feeds on crayfish, shrimp, aquatic insects, frogs, fish, snails, small reptiles, and other aquatic invertebrates.

  • Hunts mainly at dusk and night, although it may forage during the day, especially while feeding young.

Range

  • Found from the eastern and southern United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and much of northern South America.

  • Widespread along both the Pacific and Gulf coasts of Mexico, including the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a common year-round resident.

  • Inhabits mangroves, estuaries, coastal lagoons, marshes, rivers, swamps, ponds, and other freshwater or brackish wetlands.

  • Often roosts quietly in trees or dense vegetation during the day.

Male / Female

  • Male: Slate-gray body, black face and back, distinctive yellowish-white crown, white cheek stripe, red eyes, and sturdy black bill. Slightly larger than the female.

  • Female: Nearly identical in plumage but generally smaller and less robust.

  • Juveniles: Brown with heavy buff spotting and streaking, lacking the adult's gray plumage and pale crown.

  • Sexes cannot be reliably distinguished in the field except by subtle size differences.

Size

  • Length: 55–70 cm (22–28 in)

  • Wingspan: 110–118 cm (43–46 in)

  • Weight: 650–1,050 g (1.4–2.3 lb)

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