| Common Name | Yellow-crowned Night Heron |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Nyctanassa violacea |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 07/06/2024 |
| Media | |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | David Guertin |
| Mailing Address | 1599 Route 30 Cornwall, VT 05753 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 07/06/2024 |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44.024823 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -73.398253 |
| Place Name | McCuen Slang |
| Township | Addison |
| County | Addison |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 06:58 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | 5 minutes |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 150 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 60 |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | binoculars: Hawke Frontier ED X 8x42 |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | I had to check -- It's been over 40 years since I've seen one of these birds! I am very familiar with Black-crowned Night Herons, and see numerous immatures every fall. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Lake Champlain lakeshore and slang with typical wetland vegetation. Great Blue Herons, Green Herons, Wood Ducks, Mallards, and Red-winged Blackbirds were also seen in the same spot. |
| Behaviors Observed | Standing on the lake shore at the water's edge. When I surprised the bird by suddenly appearing 20m away across a clear gravel road, it remained motionless for about 30 seconds before flying away up the slang. I later relocated the bird about 50m away, standing on the edge of the slang and occasionally poking at the water in a rather lackluster fashion. |
| Description of Vocalizations | Silent |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | When I first encountered the bird standing at the water's edge it immediately struck me as an immature night heron. My first thought was naturally Black-crowned Night Heron, but something about the slim, elongated shape of this bird had me thinking could this be a Yellow-crowned?? It was enough unlike the typical chunky, hunched-up posture of a Black-crowned Night Heron to give me pause. But owing to the rarity of that species, my unfamiliarity with them, and the similarity the two immature night heron species, I had to convince myself it wasn't just a stretched-out example of the more expected Black-crowned. By that point the bird had flown out of sight, but I had managed to capture some good photos, and I pulled out the field guide for some comparative study. All of the field marks pointed to Yellow-crowned, not Black-crowned. Details below. |
| Relative Size & Shape | Similar in size to a Black-crowned Night Heron, but overall slimmer and longer-necked appearance. |
| Head | Finely streaked crown, cheeks, throat, and nape. Bright orange-red eye. |
| Feet & Bill | Bill stout and all dark, with no yellow, unlike Black-crowned Night Heron. Legs and feet yellow. |
| Upper Back | Dark gray-brown with white feather tips, giving a specked appearance. |
| Wings | Wing coverts terminating with small white spots, smaller than found on a Black-crowned Night Heron. Wing coverts also with white edges, unlike Black-crowned Night Heron. In flight, primaries and secondaries were dark gray, darker than a Black-crown Night Heron. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | Cold not see the ventral side of the bird |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | Black-crowned Night Heron. See description above. |
| Other Notes & Comments | Immature |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Immediately After |
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