Is the Yellow-crowned Night Heron the Most Romantic Bird in Anguilla?

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

From April to August each year, I am fortunate to catch a spectacular view of sunsets over Shoal Bay East. These are the moments that cocktail hours are made of!

I have three criteria for the expectation of a perfect sunset:

1. A small number of clouds are visible on the horizon.

2. The presence of Saharan Dust.

3. Yellow-crowned Night Herons perched on the rim of the abandoned pool next door.

With two families actively nesting on the property, it’s possible to see four or five herons perched here to enjoy the nightly show. They often include their kids in the watch party. If they don’t show up, you can be sure it will be a dud sunset.

So who are these seemingly romantic birds of which I speak? Our go-to site - Birds of the World by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, describes them as follows:

“Medium-sized, dark-bodied heron with heavy bill. Total length 55–70 cm, weight 650–800 g. Females slightly smaller than males. Neck slim when extended, making head appear large. In Definitive plumages, head glossy black with white crown and cheek patch. Neck and body bluish gray. Feathers of mantle, back, and wing coverts have black centers with light gray edges, giving a scaled appearance. Scapular plumes have similar pattern and often extend well beyond tail. Legs yellowish green, turning coral pink to scarlet during courtship. In Juvenile plumage, drab brown above with buffy spots on mantle, back, and coverts; underparts white with brown streaks. 2nd-year adult-like, but with subdued head pattern and retained juvenile outer primaries. 3rd-year adult like, but often with some signs of immaturity on the head (brownish instead of black).”

This breeding resident of Anguilla can be seen on beaches, wetlands, and coastal areas. Swimming pools offer another option for these herons.

The best time for viewing this species is early morning or evening. It comes by its name - Night Heron - quite appropriately.

Locally known as the Night Gaulin, their epic squawk is enough to wake the dead! This is especially true when they do it in an enclosed space like a covered porch. I share this because it happened to me the first night I slept in my house in Anguilla.

Recently Fledged Yellow-crowned Night Heron

So are these birds taking their partners on a “date” to watch the sunset, or is something else afoot?

Most likely, they are simply waiting for dinner to be served. Again, Birds of the World sums up their diet nicely:

Across its range, the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron specializes in taking crustaceans, especially crabs, which it hunts using slow stalking movements. When it catches a large crab, the bird methodically dismembers and eats it, body first. Indeed, the breeding ecology of the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron reflects the temporal dynamics of crab availability. Northern populations retreat to subtropical and tropical latitudes in the fall where crabs are active year-round.

Hermit and nocturnal land crabs become active after sunset and continue into the early morning hours. Once the sunset show ends, they move with sudden stealth into the bush in search of prey.

In the early morning, Ghost Crabs surface on beaches, becoming easy targets for this serial hunter.

A small part of me hopes they enjoy a spectacular sunset as much as I do. I am always happy for the company as I take too many photographs as I search for that picture-perfect moment!

Take a walk on the wild side!