Owner Comments:
The next modern dinosaur which is brought to this collection by the 2018-S Silver Reverse Proof Set is another heron: The Black-Crowned Night Heron, species name Nycticorax nycticorax.
The Black-Crowned Night Heron is another small heron, with a length range between 22.8-26 inches, with a wingspan range of 45.3-46.5 inches and a weight range of 25.6-35.8 ounces. As far as appearance, the Black-Crowned Night Heron has a black crown, with the rest of the body being white and grey with red eyes and yellow legs. Juveniles are brown and streaky, with yellow eyes and they look markedly different from adults. Both sexes have long plumes on their heads as adults which are used in greeting and sexual displays. Overall, Black-Crowned Night Herons have a different build than most herons, having shorter legs, beaks and necks relative to their size than other herons and they also have an overall stockier build for their size than other herons. Sexual dimorphism in this species is very slight, with males sometimes being slightly larger than females. Black-Crowned Night Herons get the “Night” in their names by being nocturnal, which is unusual among herons. The Black-Crowned Night Heron has a wide geographical range, being found in parts of North America, much of South America, much of Africa and parts of Europe and Asia when breeding, non-breeding and migratory ranges are all considered.
Like other herons, the Black-Crowned Night Heron is a predator of aquatic animals, with its diet consisting of fish, invertebrates, amphibians and small mammals. Black-Crowned Night Herons are ambush hunters who locate prey by sight and, instead of impaling like other herons, grab prey animals with their beaks before devouring them whole. The Black-Crowned Night Heron is also an example of tool use among non-human animals as it will construct baits, both actually edible and non-edible, to lure prey to it. This behavior is an excellent modern example that illustrates the inherent intelligence of theropod dinosaurs in general. Theropod dinosaurs had some of the first complex brains in the history of life on Earth, and they were likely the first animals to exhibit behaviors like tool use.
As far as breeding goes, I was unable to find if Black-Crowned Night Herons mate for life or if they are only monogamous for a single breeding season. It is likely that this information is difficult to determine because Black-Crowned Night Herons breed in huge colonies made up largely of other Black-Crowned Night Herons and there is little difference in appearance among different individuals. Some of these breeding colonies can last for over 50 years. Males return first to select nesting sites, start building nests and display for females. Once a pair bond is formed, the females takes over the construction of the nest, which is made of sticks and other plant materials. 3-4 green eggs are produced and they are incubated by both parents for 21-26 days. Black-Crowned Night Herons are born covered in grey down and helpless. Both parents feed the babies by regurgitation and like their relative the Snowy Egret, they have an elaborate “passing the baton” ritual between the parents when one parent returns to the nest to take over the care of the babies.
The babies of this species have a highly effective, though rather disgusting, mode of defense. If a potential threat shows up at the nest, baby Black-Crowned Night Herons will unleash an extremely foul-smelling, sticky vomit at the threat. This vomit can be lethal as the extremely vile smell of it can seriously impede a predator’s ability to ambush prey and, with avians, it can damage their feathers and leave them unable to fly. This vomit defense is so effective (and absolutely vile) that it even makes it difficult for human researchers to study Black-Crowned Night Heron nestlings. At the age of 1 month, the babies can leave the nest and move around on foot. Baby Black-Crowned Herons fly at 6 weeks old, after which they disperse widely to start their adult lives. Considering the vomit defense of baby Black-Crowned Night Herons and the ferocity in physical defense that adults of the species exhibit, it is unsurprising that Black-Crowned Night Herons have little to no predation upon them and can look forward to a lifespan of around 21 years.