Black-crowned Night Heron

The black-crowned night heron is a compact, stocky heron recognisable by its black cap, dark grey back and large red eyes. As its Latin name suggests — Nycticorax, 'the night raven' — it is a nocturnal hunter. During the day it sleeps hidden in dense trees above the water, often in small groups. At dusk it flies out to the marshes with a distinctive harsh call: a dry 'kwak' that gave the bird its Dutch name. Young birds look nothing like the adults: they are entirely brown and spotted, and can easily be mistaken for a different species.