Another heron identification

<p>Might this be an immature black-crowned night heron? Photographed at Ding Darling NWR on Feb 6 2011:</p>

<p>Reduced photo size for in-line viewing:</p><div></div>

Ben.same as in your other shot yellow crown night heron juvenile (istbc) regards miken

<p>Ben I agree it's a BCNH. The whitish spots on the wings are much larger and rounder than your other immy night-heron. Streaking on underparts is broader and quite blurry. And the bill looks more pointed and appears to have some yellow on it.<br>

Roger.</p>

<p>The black crown night heron has red eyes; the yellow crown's eyes are yellow. Once you are aware of that, it is clear that the image the OP posts is not a black crown.</p><div></div>

<p>Neither the Sibley nor the National Geographic guides mention eye color as a field mark for seperating yellow-crowned from black crowned night herons. They do however support the ID as a black crowned based on the pattern of white on the wings. And a quick google search turned up few photographs of yellow-crowned night herons with red eyes.</p>

<p>Thanks for your various opinions fellows. I went to the Sibley guide and am now convinced this is a black-crowned night heron. The difference in the feather pattern between this bird and the YCNH shown in my earlier post was the clincher. Sibley's illustrations are very good matches to both juvenile herons I photographed.</p>

<p>Upon further reading: <a href="http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/24/identification/Black-crowned_Night-Heron.aspx">http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/24/identification/Black-crowned_Night-Heron.aspx</a><br>

it looks like adult black crowned night herons indeed have red eyes. Of course I haven't seen every one of them out there, but as far as I recall, each one I have photographed on both the East and West Coasts in the US has red eyes.</p>

<p>However, black crowned's eye color does not start from red according to the above link. They are yellow as juveniles. Therefore, what I posted earlier is not correct.</p>

<p>If it can help, this is a juvenile black-crowned night heron:<br>

<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4958343526_31b1a1c02f_z.jpg" alt="" width="403" height="600" /></p>