| Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) - This common member of the heron family breeds on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. It differs from most other herons in its short-necked appearance and its thick,heavy bill, which accounts for its denomination among Cajuns as the gros-bec. As its common English name suggests, it is primarily a nocturnal feeder, and I often hear their harsh, guttural kwok as they fly over my house just after dark on their way from the nearby rookery in Audubon Park, where they breed, to the marshes south of the city where the feed. This nesting pair was photographed at the Audubon Park heronry on 23 April 2008. |
