Why don’t you see them more often? The black-crowned night heron mainly feeds after dark. You are most likely to spot them at dusk and dawn along the edge of a waterway.
The black-crowned night heron was among many species declining nationwide between the 1940s and 1970s due to the cumulative effects of DDT and similar pesticides. Those environmental toxins were banned in the early 1970s.
While no longer considered at risk of a declining population, these herons are still affected by the accumulation of pollutants in the shellfish and fish they eat.
They are, however, one of the most wide-ranging of herons across North America. It is the larger of the two night heron species found in Florida.
With rare exceptions, the black-crowned night herons usually hover close to the water’s edge.
They commonly can be seen on mangrove roots, walking carefully along the edge of mud flats, and picking their way through cypress strands.
While they can be seen year-round in Florida, they can be found as far west as the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington. They seasonally range into the central Canadian provinces and up the east coast all the way to Maine.
They feed in wetlands – freshwater, saltwater, and brackish – so that is the most likely place to find them.
I found this one just after sunrise along Peavine Road in Osceola County, Florida.
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