Nearby words
black-bellied plover, black-billed cuckoo, black-billed magpie, black-capped chickadee, black-coated, black-crowned night heron, black-eyed pea, black-eyed susan, black-figure, black-footed ferret, black-headed fireworm
Origin of black-crowned night heron
An Americanism dating back to 1835–45
Definition for black-crowned night heron (2 of 2)
night heron
noun
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.
Origin of night heron
First recorded in 1775–85
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for black-crowned night heron
night heron
noun
any nocturnal heron of the genus Nycticorax and related genera, having short legs and neck, a heavy body, and a short heavy bill
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