Birds
Yellow-crowned night heron
Nyctanassa violaceaConservation statusLeast Concern
DietMainly crabs
LifespanNot precisely known
Size and weightAbout 60 cm
A compact gray heron with a black head, a white stripe on the cheek and a yellowish crown on top of the head.
Yellowish crown
What makes it specialIt is an expert at hunting crabs and swallows them whole.
Surprising factActive mostly at dusk and at night. By day it rests in the shade of rocks and mangroves (trees that grow in salt water).
PopulationCommon in North and South America, and it nests in the Galápagos.
Shore rocks and mangroves