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black-crowned night heron

[blak-kround]
noun
  1. See under night heron.
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Origin of black-crowned night heron

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

night heron

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), of the Old and New Worlds, and Nyctanassa violacea (yellow-crowned night heron), of America.
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Origin of night heron

First recorded in 1775–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for black-crowned night heron

night heron

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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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012