Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)

Shorebirds of Ireland, Freshwater Birds of Ireland and The Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide 2nd Edition with Jim Wilson.
www.markcarmodyphotography.com

The yellow-crowned night heron (Nyctanassa violacea), is one of two species of night heron in genus Nyctanassa. Unlike the black-crowned night heron, which has a worldwide distribution, the yellow-crowned is restricted to the Americas. It is s a rather stocky wading bird, ranging from 55 to 70 cm and from 650 to 850 g (1.43–1.87 lb), the females being a little smaller than the males. The yellow-crowned night heron has a wingspan ranging from 101 to 112 cm. The neck, slim when extended, exposes its large head (compared to its body), with a large and heavy bill.

The body and back are a smooth grey-blue, with a black scaled pattern on the wings. The long legs are yellow and turn coral, pink or red during courtship. The most characteristic part of the yellow-crowned night heron is the head: black and glossy, with white cheeks and a pale yellow crown going from the bill, between the eyes and to the back of the head, giving the bird its common name. Such colours make the face appear striped in a horizontal black-white-black-white pattern. Long, thin, white feathers grow to the back of the crown during mating season. The bill, also black, is thick and deeply set under the eyes which are dark orange or red.

Subspecies and populations that are insular or live in warmer areas are confirmed to be sedentary. The tropical subspecies and populations migrate, but to an extent that is still unclear for lack of data. Migration occurs in mid-March in lower latitude, and from mid-March to April in higher latitude. (wikipedia)

New of this species turning up in Belcarra, an inland village in Co. Mayo, sent the Irish birdwatching world into a tizzy. I managed to get to see the bird a week after it was reported. It seems to have been present for quite a while, and probably since last autumn's storms. Only the 2nd record for mainland Europe (a bird was in Portugal in 2020). A fantastic sight in a most beautiful setting. Worth leaving the house at 2.30am for!

Taken in: Ireland / Connaught / Belcarra (show map)

Taken on: June 3, 2024

Tags:

Bird

Herons

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Nyctanassa violacea

Europe

Ireland

Mayo

Belcarra

Mark

Camera

Sony

200-600 G OSS FE 5.6-6.3

ILCE-9M2

A9II

SEL200600G

200-600mm

Mark Carmody

Carmo

CarmoPolice

CarmoPolis

Carmody

markcarmodyphotography

markcarmodyphotography.com

Topic

Birds

Irish Birds

Rare

Wildlife

books

Birds of Ireland

Birds of Ireland: A Field Guide

Freshwater Birds of Ireland

Shorebirds of Ireland

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Camera: Sony ILCE-9M2, f/9.0, 1/500 sec, 552mm, ISO 12800 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Sony ILCE-9M2
Lens:	Sony FE 200–600 mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS (SEL200600G) + 1.4X Teleconverter (SEL14TC)
Aperture:	f/9.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	552mm
ISO:	12800
Exposure Bias:	-1 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Auto
Saturation:	Low
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Capture One 23 Macintosh
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