The Black crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is the most widespread heron in the world – though is not as frequently seen as other herons because, as the name implies, it is most active at dusk and at night, feeding in the same areas that other heron species frequent during the day. It is a stocky bird, which looks as if it is hunched over with its head tucked down into its shoulders – it is usually found with its neck pulled in. Its neck and legs are much shorter than other herons and has a black crown, black on its back, and its wings are bluish-grey. It frequents wooded swamps, ponds, lakes and tropical mangroves. The subspecies N. n. hoactli breeds in North and South America from Canada as far south as northern Argentina and Chile, N. n. obscurus in southernmost South America, N. n. falklandicus in the Falkland Islands, and the nominate race N. n. nycticorax in Europe, Asia and Africa.
It is migratory in the northernmost part of its range, but otherwise resident (even in the cold Patagonia). The North American population winters in Mexico, the southern United States, Central America, and the West Indies, and the Old World birds winter in tropical Africa and southern Asia.
