The name Nycticorax means "night raven" and derives from the Ancient Greek νύκτος, nuktos "night" and κοραξ, korax, "raven". It refers to the largely nocturnal feeding habits of this group of birds, and the croaking crow-like call of the best known species, the black-crowned night heron.

The black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) [or black-capped night heron[citation needed]], commonly shortened to just night heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, including parts of Europe, Asia, and …

Stocky and heavy-bodied for a heron. Adult unmistakable with black cap and back, gray wings. Juvenile very different, all brown with white spots at first; compare to young Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and to American Bittern. Later immature stages look more like brownish versions of …

The night herons are medium-sized herons, 58–65 cm, in the genera Nycticorax, Nyctanassa, and Gorsachius. The genus name Nycticorax derives from the Greek for "night raven" and refers to the largely nocturnal feeding habits of this group of birds, and the croaking crow-like, almost like a barking sound, call of the best known species, the ...

Read about Nycticorax nycticorax (black-crowned night heron) on the Animal Diversity Web.

Juveniles noticeably different, brown and streaky with yellow eyes. Often crouched under overhanging branches during the day. Feeds nocturnally for fish, frogs and other prey. Where it overlaps with Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, note large teardrop-shaped white spots on wing coverts which Yellow-crowned lacks.

Habitat destruction, human harassment and indiscriminate killing have led to a dramatic decline in the numbers of this species. Protection and preservation of nest and feeding sites are vital to …

The Black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world. These birds have a stocky appearance as if hunched over, the head tucked down into the shoulders, and they are usually seen with this posture.

The Black-crowned night-heron is a medium-sized heron, with a stocky build, relatively short neck and legs, and sexually monomorphic plumage. Adults are easily identified by their black cap, upper back, and shoulders, gray wings, rump, and tail, and white to pale gray underparts.

It breeds up to 4,800 m (Chile) (Kushlan and Hancock 2005) but is more common at elevations of up to c.2,000 m (Snow and Perrins 1998).