Black-crowned night heron

Description:

There were several of these black-crowned night herons near Lake St Catherine in New Orleans, Louisiana. All were resting. It is a short stocky bird with a thick bill and short legs. Black beak with black crown on head and black on back and gray sides. White underparts. Breeding birds have two long white head plumes.

Habitat:

This black-crowned night heron was spotted near Lake St Catherine in New Orleans, Louisiana. There was a pond offset from the lake with lots of twigs and branches and looked like dead trees around edging the water. There were several shore birds at this site--cormorants, egrets and herons.