1. Black-crowned night heron– Nycticorax nycticorax
Black-crowned night heron is a medium-sized bird with a body length of 50-60 cm and a weight of 400-500 g. In an adult, the plumage of the upper body is black, the bottom of the body is white, there is a characteristic bang on the head. The black-crowned night heron has a short but strong beak and long legs.
Black-crowned night heron is common in Europe, Asia and Africa. In Ukraine, it nests throughout the territory, except for the Crimea.
Black-crowned night heron is a migratory bird. It lives on the banks of reservoirs, in the floodplains of rivers and in swamps. Common quack nests in colonies, sometimes up to several thousand pairs. The nest is built of branches, reeds and other plant materials. Tthere are 3-6 eggs in the clutch of a black-crowned night-heron. The eggs are incubated by the female and the male in turn. Chicks hatch in 20-22 days. After hatching, the chicks grow quickly and begin to fly after a few weeks.
Black-crowned night-heron eats fish, crustaceans, frogs, and other aquatic animals. Black-crowned night-heron catches prey at dusk and at night, sitting on tree branches or swimming on the surface of the water.
Black-crowned night heron is a fairly common species and is not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
Photo: Volodymyr Kucherenko