Skip to content
Roger Simmons Roger Simmons

Birds, Words, Pics + TV

  • Home
  • All Posts
    • Orlando Wetlands
    • Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
    • Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive
    • Joe Overstreet Road
    • UCF Arboretum
    • Fort DeSoto Park
  • My Bird Catalog
    • All Birds Catalog
    • American Flamingos
    • Bald Eagles
    • Barred Owls
    • Belted Kingfishers
    • Black-and-White Warblers
    • Eastern Bluebirds
    • Florida Scrub-Jays
    • Green Herons
    • Little Blue Herons
    • Northern Parulas
    • Ospreys
    • Reddish Egrets
    • Red-Shouldered Hawks
    • Roseate Spoonbills
    • Sandhill Cranes
    • Whooping Crane
  • Orlando TV News/History
    • Orlando TV Schedules
    • Florida TV History
  • About this Site
Roger Simmons
Roger Simmons

Birds, Words, Pics + TV

These herons are creatures of the night

Roger Simmons, March 6, 2023June 13, 2023

There are several different types of herons, but a couple are harder to find than others. You might have to stay out very late or go out very early to try to see them.

These are the night herons, and there are two kinds in Florida: the Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron and the Black-Crowned Night Heron.

Over the course of the past six weeks, I’ve been able to spot both during my travels.

The first was the Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, which I saw in the native swamp and rookery area of the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park. He/she wasn’t there as an exhibit — this yellow-crowned bird was in an area of the park where herons, egrets, spoonbills and other birds gather to nest, protected from predators by the alligators swimming below the trees.

I spotted my first Black-Crowned Night-Heron at the Orlando Wetlands Park a few weeks later. They’re pretty common there, so much so that they have a trail called Night Heron Lane that goes by a pond where you can usually spot one.

What’s the difference between the two night herons?

According to AllAboutBirds.org, “Black-crowned Night-Herons often spend their days perched on tree limbs or concealed among foliage and branches. They forage in the evening and at night, in water, on mudflats, and on land. In flight they fold their head back against their shoulders, almost making the neck disappear.”

As for the Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, the website says they, “Forage both during the day and at night—in coastal areas the tide can trump the time of day: most foraging occurs from 3 hours before high tide to 3 hours after.”

And another fun fact from AllAboutBirds.org: “This species shows up several times in the fossil record, and the earliest recorded fossil is 2–2.5 million years old (from Sarasota, Florida).”

Check out the night-herons I have spotted in the gallery below.

1955-wesh-wmfj-2

1955-wesh-wmfj-2
Image 2 of 245

Share on Social Media
x facebook reddit email
All Birds Orlando Wetlands Black-Crowned Night-HeronOrlando Wetlands ParkSt. Augustine Alligator Farm and ZooYellow-Crowned Night-Heron

Post navigation

Previous post
Next post

Related Posts

All

Wilson’s Warbler? What the heck is it doing here?

October 25, 2023October 25, 2023

This is a Wilson’s Warbler, a colorful little bird that isn’t supposed to be in Florida. In fact, it regularly visits just about everywhere in the U.S., Canada and Central America but not Florida.

Read More
All

Great Egrets add touch of elegance to Orlando Wetlands

February 19, 2025February 18, 2025

Resplendent in white with just a touch of green and yellow, the chic Great Egrets put on quite a show during breeding season.

Read More
All

Growing up quickly at Orlando Wetlands

July 20, 2024July 22, 2024

One of the cool benefits of visiting the Orlando Wetlands regularly is witnessing how the little baby birds grow into big birds. Here are two examples.

Read More

Latest Posts

  • Merritt Island birds back in May
  • Barn Swallows return to Lake Apopka for summer
  • Black-neck Stilts bring babies, summer fun
  • Important anniversary for Indian River flamingos
  • Enjoying a quiet morning at Orlando Wetlands

Top Locations

Orlando Wetlands

Posts about visits to Orlando Wetlands


UCF Arboretum

Posts about visits to UCF Arboretum


Merritt Island

Posts about visits to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge


Lake Apopka

Posts about visits to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive


Fort DeSoto

Posts about visits to Fort DeSoto Park


Galleries

Roger's Favorites

An ever-changing collection of my favorite pictures


American Flamingos

Photos of American Flamingos in Indian River


Belted Kingfishers

Photos of Belted Kingfishers across Central Florida.


Oystercatchers

Pictures of American Oystercatchers at Fort DeSoto Park


Spoonbills

Pictures of Roseate Spoonbills in Central Florida


Whooping Crane

Pictures of one of the last Whooping Cranes in Florida


MORE GALLERIES


Topics

American Kestrel Anhinga Awards Bald Eagles Barn Swallow Barred Owl Belted Kingfisher Black-and-White Warbler Black-Crowned Night-Heron Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Common Gallinule Common Yellowthroat Digital TV Eastern Bluebird Great Blue Heron Great Egret Green Heron Limpkin Little Blue Heron Northern Cardinal Northern Mockingbird Northern Parula Orlando Wetlands Park Osprey Palm Warbler Prairie Warbler Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-shouldered Hawk Red-Winged Blackbird Reddish Egret Roseate Spoonbills Sandhill Crane Savannah Sparrow Snowy Egret Tricolored Heron Tufted Titmouse WESH-2 WFTV-9 White Ibis WKCF-18 WKMG-6 WMFE-24 WOFL-35 Wood Stork WRDQ-27

©2025 Roger Simmons | All Rights Reserved