Black-crowned night heron
Scientific name: Nycticorax nycticorax (Linnaeus, 1758)
Overview
The black-crowned night heron or black-capped night heron, commonly shortened to just night heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, including parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. In Australasia it is replaced by the closely related Nankeen night heron, with which it has hybridised in the area of contact.
From the Wikipedia article “Black-crowned night heron”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Adult weight (male) | 682 g |
| Adult weight (female) | 590 g |
Source: Wikidata, citing “AVIAN BODY SIZES IN RELATION TO FECUNDITY, MATING SYSTEM, DISPLAY BEHAVIOR, AND RESOURCE SHARING”, article by Terje Lislevand et al published June 2007 in Ecology.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Africa; Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China); Middle America; North America; Oceania; South America; Southern Asia.
Common names
Also known in English as Night Heron.
Names in other languages (14)
- Arabic
- بلشون الليل, بلشون الليل أسود التاج
- Bengali
- নিশি বক
- Chinese
- 夜鹭
- French
- Bihoreau gris, bihoreau gris, héron bihoreau, Héron bihoreau
- German
- Nachtreiher
- Hindi
- वाक
- Indonesian
- kowak-malam abu
- Japanese
- ゴイサギ
- Persian
- حواصیل کاکلسیاه
- Portuguese
- Goraz, goraz-comum, savacu, socó-dorminhoco
- Russian
- Кваква, обыкновенная кваква
- Spanish
- Garza bruja, Martinete común
- Turkish
- gece balıkçılı
- Urdu
- سیاہ تاج پوش رات کا بگلا
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q126216, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Black-crowned night heron”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Jac. Janssen, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026