Rodrigues Night-Heron vs Forest Bittern

Nycticorax megacephalus compared with Zonerodius heliosylus

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute Rodrigues Night-Heron Forest Bittern
Scientific Name Nycticorax megacephalus Zonerodius heliosylus
Order Pelecaniformes Pelecaniformes
Family Ardeidae Ardeidae
Conservation Status Extinct Near Threatened
Length
Wingspan 60.6 cm (23.9 in)
Weight 802.0 g (28.29 oz)
Diet -- --
Clutch Size -- --
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Shared Habitats

Rodrigues Night-Heron only

None

Forest Bittern only

Conservation Status

Extinct

Rodrigues Night-Heron

Near Threatened

Forest Bittern

About These Birds

Rodrigues Night-Heron

The Rodrigues Night-Heron (Nycticorax megacephalus) is an extinct species of night-heron belonging to the family Ardeidae, formerly endemic to the island of Rodrigues in the Mascarene island group in the southwestern Indian Ocean. The species is known from subfossil and fossil bones, supplemented by historical accounts by French colonists and castaways who visited or were stranded on Rodrigues in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The scientific name megacephalus means 'large-headed' in Greek, a morphological feature noted in the skeletal …

More Birds to Explore

Explore the Nature FYI Family