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TBOSG (Black-crowned) Night Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax
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The scientific name 'nycticorax' means 'night raven' and refers to this species nocturnal habits and harsh crow-like call. They are ranked among the unclean birds, its Hebrew name is 'anaphah' and indicates that the bird so named is remarkable for its angry disposition. Herons are wading birds, peculiarly irritable and remarkable for their voracity. The subspecies N. n. hoactli breeds in North America and winters in Mexico, the southern United States, Central America and the West Indies. |
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Earliest: May 2nd 1986 near Keynsham. Latest: November 19th 1971 on Severnside. Highest Count: One on all dates. |
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There have been two Black-crowned Night Herons reported from S. Gloucestershire, they are; |
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1986: (1) |
On May 2nd an adult was seen near the R. Avon in the Keynsham/ Hanham area. It was present until May 5th when it was seen to fly off in the evening in near darkness. |
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1971: (1) |
On November 19th at the ICI Chemical Works on Severnside an immature was found inside a building and taken into care. It was ringed and subsequently released at CVLake on November 28th where it remained until December 19th. It was considered by some at the time to have been the North American form: Nycticorax n. hoactli. This occurrence constitutes the first report of this species for S. Gloucestershire. |