The Black-crowned Night-Heron is a medium-sized, stocky heron with a thick neck, short legs, and a distinctive black crown and back that contrast sharply with its pale gray wings and underparts. Widespread and adaptable, it is found year-round in Arizona, especially in riparian areas, marshes, lakes, ponds, and urban wetlands. These nocturnal birds roost quietly in trees or dense vegetation by day and forage at dusk and night, often standing motionless at the water’s edge waiting to ambush prey. Their diet includes fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and insects. Though more secretive than diurnal herons, they are fairly common and can be observed at sites like the Tres Rios Wetlands, Gilbert Water Ranch, and along the Salt and Gila rivers. They nest colonially, often with other herons, in trees or reeds near water.
