Black-crowned Night Heron
Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax n )
- Nycticorax nycticorax nycticorax
- Nycticorax nycticorax falklandicus
- Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli
- Nycticorax nycticorax obscurus
The Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax ) is a species of the heron family ( Ardeidae ) and thus belongs to the order of wading and Ciconiiformes ( Ciconiiformes ).
The Night Heron is represented almost all the world, he lacks only in Australasia. He was originally widespread in Central Europe, it is however, now only the east and southeast of Central Europe is a relatively common breeding and summer bird.
Features
Night Heron reach a body size 58-65 inches and weigh 727-1014 grams. The females are usually slightly smaller and have during the breeding season a slightly shorter Crest than males. They have a stocky physique with relatively short neck and legs.
The plumage of the adult Night Heron is striking gray, black and white colored. Basically, they have - depending on the area of distribution - a slightly divergent plumage coloration and body size. The hood, consisting of little elongated head and long neck feathers is black. Back and shoulders are black, the belly is light gray to white, otherwise the fuselage and wings are inconspicuous ash. Forehead and face are white, the thick beak is black and the iris is bright red color. In some places, her face is featherless and the skin there is greenish - yellow. Legs of adult night herons are pale yellow-green. The wings are broad and rounded. In flight they resemble the bitterns.
The young birds have dull gray legs, and her eyes are yellow to amber. Head, neck, chest and abdomen are brown, ocher and white striped, during the spring tips are provided with large white spots. It was not until the third year they receive the full colored plumage of an adult night heron.
Your general reputation reminiscent of the rough, hoarse voice of a raven and sounds like Qua, Quak or Quark. This call is usually expelled in flight or from a location high altitude.
Occurrence
Night herons are found in Europe, Africa, Asia and America. In Central Europe in the 19th century they were still widespread breeding birds. Today, they are mainly a southern European Art you get there to salt and brackish waters and marshland before, even on large rivers, shallow marshes and lake shores, which generously with rushes ( Juncaceae ) and cattail plants ( Typhaceae ) are overgrown.
Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli The subspecies is found in a similar habitat, but only on the Hawaiian Islands. On the island of Lana'i but it was never spotted. Nycticorax nycticorax falklandicus The subspecies is native only to the Falkland Islands and is the subspecies that lives under the most extreme climatic conditions. It is basically feathered smaller and darker than other subspecies of the night heron.
Behavior
Night herons are year-round very social, they are usually found together with the homogeneous, but also with other species of herons. In winter, they usually sit together on a branch. European stocks are migratory, some non-European populations remain even in winter in the same place. When it is cold, they move in a flight legs to keep warm. The young birds leave the nest back up in the cold and huddled there together. Night Heron defend their food and Nistrevier.
Nutrition
On foraging to Night Heron issued especially in the evening and at night, making them scramble to avoid food with diurnal species of herons. When food is scarce, such as in the breeding season, they look even during the day to forage. They eat quite versatile, mainly of small fish, worms and insects. They eat occasionally, crustaceans, amphibians, reptiles, molluscs, rodents, birds, eggs, and carrion, rarely plant materials. You are looking for their feeding areas again and again again.
Reproduction
In the breeding season, the legs of the monogamous living Night Heron color fuchsia, two or three strikingly white, long feathers ranging then from the neck to far on the back. During courtship, the males are aggressive, prancing around almost crawling, crouching head and rattle with the beak or use a branch. After the dance, they stretch their necks out far deeper nod his head until it reaches the height of the feet, then give them snapping - hissing noises. The gesticulating with a branch or cleaning the plumage can be mostly observed between the Balzgesängen. It is believed that this Balzspiel stimulates other males to courtship itself. In a breed in colonies kind that is critical for successful reproduction. Females that are approaching the courting males are rejected for now. Will there be a female but then allowed to enter the area, the new couple dressing up each other, and they clatter, alternating with the beak. One to two days after the bond they perform copulation either in the nest or near to it.
They breed like some other herons, for example, Canada (Ardea herodias ) and Little Egret (Egretta garzetta ), in colonies. About 30 nests are usually built in a tree, close to the tree trunk or branch forks. Much like the scarlet macaw ( butorides striatus) and night heron build only a very meager nest. In this case, the male begins to build, it builds an affiliate location or renovated an already existing nest. It then helps induce more branches, roots and grass, which are then woven by the female.
It is only once bred in the year, very rarely twice. Approximately four to five days after copulation ( late April to late June), the female lays at intervals of two days about three to five eggs. On the first day they are still vigorously green, but they pale bluish or greenish quickly. The couple they incubated alternately about 22 to 25 days. On very hot days, the adult birds wet their plumage to keep the eggs cool. The young birds leave the nest three weeks after hatching, but they remove not yet very far. For three weeks, the young birds are hiding high up in the treetops when they feel threatened. At the age of about six to seven weeks they can fly well and put their own territories from, know that they have to defend. The parents recognize their young usually not and tighten the brood nests on the other.
Ecology
Fishing companies complain that the occurrence of the Night Heron is very bad for the fish, because they are eating a large amount of fish. That is the reason, why are night herons, which are seen close to fish farming stations, made or shot. However, there are now other ways to keep Night Heron from the breeding pool.
If they build up in the vicinity of settlements colonies are said to the night herons that they should do great damage. Therefore one should they also have shot, but here are other ways have been developed to keep Night Heron. In the past they were hunted for their meat, but today it is almost no longer chasing them.
Stock
The Night Heron in Germany is threatened with extinction ( Red List category 1 ). He is a kind of Annex I of the EU Birds Directive ( 79/409/EEC RL ). In the period 1995 to 1999 only 35 breeding pairs were observed in Germany. The Central European distribution area is Hungary, where 2002 3.600 breeding pairs occurred.
A stock slump due to direct persecution and habitat destruction took place in the 18th and 19th centuries. Only in the second half of the 20th century there was a population increase and spread in the current area. However, it was then again to a decline in population numbers. Here again played a role in direct pursuit, but could in this long-distance migrant, passing through vast desert region of Africa, the dry years have played a major role. Since then, the stock has risen sharply among others in France and also grown on the rice fields of Italy again. In the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, however, the populations are still very small and isolated and are subject to large population fluctuations.