Blackcrowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
The Blackcrowned Night Heron is found not only in Eurasia and
Africa, but also in the Americas. The one below was photographed in an
urban park in
California. They rest in trees during the day, flying out at dusk with their
unmistakable loud "Qwaak" calls. Soon after I first took up birdwatching I
found that a flock roosted in and near our garden. The numbers in that flock
went through a regular annual cycle, oscillating all the way from 2-3 to
30-40, and back (counted over 3-4 years).
Amber Habib