Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Nyctanassa violacea


Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Above, an adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron in Florida; the pink legs indicate breeding season.


Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Birds of this species normally take two years to reach full maturity, and
sometimes three or even four. The orange eyes and dark gray rather than
black head feathers on the bird above in breeding season may indicate an
immature. 

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Above, a less than fully mature bird, probably in its second winter, in January in Costa Rica, as indicated by the mixture of brown with black and white feathers on the head, and the orange eyes. Below, in mid-April on the Texas Gulf Coast, an apparent juvenile bird, with gray and brown feathering rather than black and white on the head.


Yellow-crowned Night-Heron


Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Adult birds, in March in Florida above, Texas in April below, and Costa Rica in January
at the bottom.

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron