By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

A couple of weeks ago, I spotted a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron roosting in a tree overlooking a small creek behind Gibbs Store in downtown Engelhard, N.C.
Due to his mottled brown plumage, he was kind of hard to see among all those branches. In fact, I only caught him out of the corner of my eye when he moved his head.

These short-legged, stocky birds are not as long in their appearance as are most other heron species. Usually they look as if their heads are tucked down into their shoulders.
The adult Black- crowned Night Heron has a light grey body, a black back, and a crown of slate black feathers on its head. Its short, thick bill is black and its eyes change from yellow to red when reaching adulthood.
Like its name implies, the Black-crowned Night Heron is most active at night, probably to avoid competition with other (larger) heron species.
They use a variety of smart techniques to attract prey. One of the most interesting is a behavior called “bill vibrating” in which it rapidly opens and closes its bill in the water, which lures fish into striking range by mimicking an insect.

They are not known as picky eaters.
Though they primarily prey on fish, they will gobble down almost any aquatic animal it can catch, as well as rodents, snakes, birds, eggs, plant material, and even discarded human food!
What fascinating birds 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatchingnc
Canon 5Ds