| Common Name | Yellow-Crowned Night Heron |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Nyctanassa violacea |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 04/16/2023 |
| Media | |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Linx Farina |
| Mailing Address | 9548 Melrose Square Way Gaithersburg, MD 20882 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 05/04/2023 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | Fletcher Gordon- |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44.493276 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -73.199947 |
| Place Name | Memorial Park |
| Township | Winooski |
| County | Chittenden |
| Time of Day | 03:24 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | 5 Minutes |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 30ft |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 15ft |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | iNaturalist, Merlin App |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | N/A |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Shallow Wetland or Marsh |
| Behaviors Observed | Hunting, Wading |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | Walking towards the entrance to Memorial Park, we spotted the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron Wading atop a mostly submerged log in the marsh. Pausing to observe its behavior and take pictures, I used iNaturalist and Merlin Bird Guide to identify the bird as the Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. The Bird itself seemed to be stalking prey that resided beneath the water. After leaving and returning to it's original location it had flown away. |
| Relative Size & Shape | About 60in in Height with a typical body plan of a heron or egret just more stout. |
| Head | Brown Eye, primarily black head, Light-yellow eye line, light-yellow crown with two-feathered yellow plumage, Long grey neck with black running down the back of the neck. |
| Feet & Bill | Black bill, not quite long but not short either, Yellow line running along the bottom of the bill. Long and thin dark orange legs |
| Upper Back | Light-Gray Upper Back |
| Lower Back & Rump | Light-Gray lower back with a lighter gray or white rump |
| Wings | slightly darker gray wings, some even darker than others. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | Light-Gray Everything |
| Tail | Short tail, White or Gray |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | The markings and color of markings from the Black-Crowned Night Heron was different. The Observed Heron also had a primarily Gray coloration while Black-Crowned Night Herons tend to have a lighter-colored chest and neck. The Black-Crowned Night Heron also has Black feathers running down its back and outer portion of its wings, something not present in Yellow-Crowned Night Herons |
| Other Notes & Comments | This was definitively not a juvenile due to its size and markings |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Immediately After |
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