Dark-Capped Night Heron
Dark-capped Night Heron juvenile on Mud Creek, Lake Winneconne, Wisconsin. September 14, 2022.
My new bird of the week – Dark-crowned Night Heron. This is a juvenile. The coloring makes it almost camouflaged (probably to protect it while it is young). I didn’t even see it in the tree. Dave spotted it. Adult night herons lose the streaks and have white bellies with deep blue-black feathers on the crown with grey backs. They also have a plume that hangs from the back of the head.
David maneuvered the canoe right under the bird and s/he looked straight down at me. I took a bunch of photos. Here are a few of my favorites. Taken on Mud Creek in Lake Winneconne, Wisconsin.
Night heron are very still birds. During the day they sleep. They are nocturnal and feed on frogs and other night creatures.
Adult Dark-Crowned Night Heron
A couple days later, we went back out on Mud Creek and spotted this adult dark-crowned night heron. Look how different the adult looks from the juvenile above! You wouldn’t think it was the same type of bird.
For information on heron animal symbolism click here. The symbolism is basically the same for any heron. The nocturnal nature of the dark-capped heron would also symbolize spiritual insight, intuition and the shadow-side of all things.
