Black-crowned Night-Heron

A short, harsh kwok or quawk, often heard as birds fly between roosts and feeding areas around dusk or at night.

Breeds across temperate and tropical regions worldwide and winters where water remains unfrozen, farther south or along coasts.

Marshes, lakes, ponds, tidal flats, mangroves, flooded rice fields, and even city park lakes—anywhere shallow water and cover for daytime roosting are available.

Migratory in cooler parts of North America, Europe, and Asia; resident or only locally dispersive in the tropics.

Stocky, medium-sized heron with a striking black crown and back contrasting with pale gray wings and white underparts. Primarily crepuscular and nocturnal, it spends days hunched on branches or reed edges and becomes active at dusk, flying with slow, purposeful wingbeats to feeding sites.