Black Heron vs Black-crowned Night Heron
Egretta ardesiaca compared with Nycticorax nycticorax
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Black Heron | Black-crowned Night Heron |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Egretta ardesiaca | Nycticorax nycticorax |
| Order | Pelecaniformes | Pelecaniformes |
| Family | Ardeidae | Ardeidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 49.0 cm (19.3 in) | 57.1 cm (22.5 in) |
| Weight | 330.0 g (11.64 oz) | 779.425 g (27.49 oz) |
| Diet | -- | -- |
| Clutch Size | 2-4 | 1-8 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Conservation Status
Black Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
About These Birds
Black Heron
The Black Heron is a medium-sized, all-black heron famous for its unique canopy-feeding technique, in which it spreads its wings like an umbrella over the water to create shade and attract fish. It inhabits shallow freshwater lakes, marshes, and flooded grasslands across sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. It feeds primarily on small fish and aquatic invertebrates attracted to the shade created by its distinctive wing canopy.
Black-crowned Night Heron
The Black-crowned Night Heron is a stocky, medium-sized heron with a distinctive black crown and back, grey wings, and white underparts, found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. It inhabits a wide range of wetlands including marshes, swamps, rivers, and coastal areas, feeding nocturnally on fish, frogs, invertebrates, and small mammals. It nests colonially in trees or shrubs near water.