Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Nyctanassa violacea

Least ConcernCommonFishCoastalPlatform nestLarge · 682 g

About the Yellow-crowned Night Heron

The yellow-crowned night heron is one of two species of night heron in the genus Nyctanassa. Unlike the black-crowned night heron, which has a worldwide distribution, the yellow-crowned is restricted to the Americas. It is known as the bihoreau violacé in French and the pedrete corona clara or yaboa común in some Spanish-speaking countries.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

Voice: The most common call of the yellow-crowned night heron is a loud, sharp and quick squawk that the bird gives shortly after taking off or uses as an alarm call or an aggression call. The young beg for food with a soft chu-chu-chu call that becomes louder as the chicks grow older and more demanding. A different range of vocalizations plays an important part in courtship and pair formation.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where it lives

Regular range

When to see it

Peak activity in April · a resident species across most of its range

Easily confused with

Side by side: Indian Pond Heron vs Yellow-crowned Night Heron · White-faced Heron vs Yellow-crowned Night Heron · Purple Heron vs Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Learn the Yellow-crowned Night Heron for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

Play BeakBrain

Every photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.