night heron

American  

[nahyt her-uhn] / ˈnaɪt ˌhɛr ən /

noun

1. any of several thick-billed, crepuscular or nocturnal herons of the genus Nycticorax and related genera, as N. nycticorax black-crowned night heron, or squawk, of the Old and New Worlds, and Nyctanassa violacea yellow-crowned night heron, of the Americas.

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night heron British  

noun

1. any nocturnal heron of the genus Nycticorax and related genera, having short legs and neck, a heavy body, and a short heavy bill

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Etymology

Origin of night heron

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

night heron

The black-crowned night heron is widespread across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe but has now been spotted at National Trust's Holnicote Estate, near Minehead.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Jim peered into the distance and trained his 10-times-magnification binoculars on a yellow-crowned night heron with plumes that fluttered down its back like ribbons.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 1, 2022

Happy children trailed behind their families, eating fries one by one from greasy bags, stopping to admire the night heron perched above a community mural.

From New York Times ● Oct. 29, 2019

It was 5:28 A.M., and a black-crowned night heron hunched into its pale-gray wings.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 27, 2019

She chased a night heron up the Schoharie River, lost him, pursued a mallard duck, and lost her.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George