night heron

American

[nahyt her-uhn] / ˈnaɪt ˌhɛr ən /

noun

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.

night heron British

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

Etymology

Origin of night heron

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

You might also see a green or great blue heron, or a black-crowned night heron.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2024

His longest stake out was a nine-hour watch for a black-crowned night heron near Wakefield, which he finally saw for three or four seconds.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2024

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

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023