Not a Chip Off the Old Block
If you see a juvenile black-crowned night heron standing next to an adult, you might not realize they are the same kind of bird. The youngsters can be similar in size to the adults, but they have brownish feathers speckled with white spots. The adults have gray wings, a whitish belly, and the signature black feathers atop their heads which give them their name.
Even the eye colors are different. Juveniles typically have yellow eyes and the grown-ups have spooky-looking red eyes.
Juvenile night herons are not afraid to make silly faces because, when their parents tell them their faces will stick like that, they know it can’t be true.
When you look, you see.
The first black-crowned night heron I ever saw was a juvenile, and the somewhat-grainy picture above is a photo I took at that moment. I didn’t know what type of bird it was, but after some searching I was excited to learn more about this amazing bird. My kids called him Benny and who would have thought I’d be writing a story about him years later?
The best way to see a juvenile black-crowned night heron is to find a colony near you. These can be found in zoos, bird sanctuaries, green spaces around your city, and lots of other places. To learn more about black-crowned night heron colonies, check out another of Copper’s Distract Facts, Home Sweet Home.
Ready to fly into more interesting stuff about black-crowned night herons?
Here are a few links, books, and apps that will get you soaring into the world of these fascinating birds and others like them.
Kids, remember to ask a parent, teacher, or librarian for help whenever you are looking for books or using the Internet. I always try to make sure to share kid-friendly books and resources, but websites are changing all the time, so always check with an adult first.
- Head over to Cornell University’s All About Birds site to learn all about black-crowned night herons. They’ve got some additional photos of juvenile black-crowns for you to check out too! https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-crowned_Night-Heron/overview
- The Heron Specialist Group, HeronConservation, has some really detailed info on black-crowned night herons, including a mention of the eye-color change from yellow to red after about 2-3 years. https://www.heronconservation.org/herons-of-the-world/list-of-herons/black-crowned-night-heron#
- Whenever I see a bird I don’t recognize, I love to find out what it is and learn more about it. One way I do that is by trying to find the bird in my field guide, The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America: Second Edition. There are field guides available for lots of places around the world, so you’ll want to check with your librarian to see what they recommend for your neck of the woods.
- Another fun way to identify a mystery bird is by using an app. As always, check with your parents before downloading any app, but two I trust are Merlin from the Cornell University folks and the Audubon Bird Guide app.