Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

Description:

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, spotted fishing in a shallow runoff from the Vendome Well mineral spring/fountain in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, Oklahoma.

Habitat:

The yellow-crowned night heron looks for shallow water to live in: marshes, wooded swamps, and lakeshores for inland populations, and thickets, mangroves and cliff-bound coasts for coastal populations. It can also be found in areas that don’t always have enough water, but that get flooded on a regular basis. Its habitat is closely linked to that of the crustaceans that make for most of its diet, and it tolerates fresh water, brackish water and saltwater. Another important habitat factor is nesting sites. The yellow-crowned night heron needs bushes or trees to build nests, although it will use rock ledges where vegetation is unavailable (for example, on cliffs). Unlike the black-crowned night heron, the yellow-crowned does not mind living near humans and can be found in wooded neighborhoods, nesting on rooftops and driveways. Such cohabitation may not go smoothly and can create conflicts with humans

Notes:

The yellow-crowned night heron is one of two species of night herons found in the Americas, the other one being the black-crowned night heron, which you can see here: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/268...