(340) PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIES OF SOME LESS FAMILIAR BIRDS. LIX. NIGHT HERON.

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1 (340) PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIES OF SOME LESS FAMILIAR BIRDS. LIX. NIGHT HERON. Photographed by C. C. DONCASTER, H. A. PATRICK, V. G. ROBSON AND G. K. YEATES. (Plates 53-59). THE Night Heron {Nycticordx nycticorax) has a very wide breeding' range, being' found not only in Europe, but in many parts of southern Asia as far as Japan and certain islands in the Pacific, in North and South America and in Africa. It nests in Europe in any suitable areas south of a line roug-hly from Lisbon in Portugal to Voronezh in south-central Russia, although it is apparently absent from most of Greece. Its nearest breedingareas to Britain are thus in southern France and Italy except that since 1946 there has been a little colony in Holland (see T. Lebret, 1947, Ardea, vol. 35, pp ). It is a vagrant to most of the northern half of Europe, including the British Isles where it has been recorded in many districts though chiefly in southern England in early summer and late autumn. In 1953 two adults and four immatures were recorded in various parts of England and details are given elsewhere in this issue (pp ) together with one 1954 record; there is unfortunately some element of doubt about the origin of Night Herons in Britain in recent years because an uncertain number of birds of the North American form (N. n. hoaetli) breed full-winged in an open-roofed enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo (see page 355) and one or two at least have wandered. The fact that the species now breeds as close to Britain as Holland has little bearing on the matter as Night Herons are still no more than uncommon vagrants in that country away from the breedingarea. Night Herons, as can well be seen in these plates, are thickset stumpy, little herons, about two feet from bill to tail and lacking the long neck and legs characteristic of many of the family. The adult plumage (plates 53-58) is a striking contrast between the black of the crown and back, the grey of the wings and tail, and the white and soft greyish of the under-parts; in flight these contrasts are very noticeable, particularly from above as the black stands out from the uniform greyness of the rounded, rather rapidly beating wings. In plates 53-58, too, can be seen the long, drooping crest which in all except Nos. 56 and 58 shows as a single white plume, but which in fact consists of three very fine threads as can be seen in plate 58; these threes threads are in certain displays erected in such a way that they also stick out.at right angles to each other. The posturing of the Night Heron has been studied in some detail and the, to- a certain extent differing, observations of K. Lorenz and of G. K. Noble,

2 VOL. XLVII.] NIGHT HERON. 341 M. Wurm and A. Schmidt on the Old World and N. American races respectively have been summarized in The Handbook (vol. Ill, pp ) and, more up to date, by E. A. Armstrong (1947, Bird Display and Behaviour, pp and elsewhere). Subsequent work by Noble and Wurm (1942, Auk, vol. 59, pp ) showed that in the American birds the plumes played an important stimulatory part in pair-formation, for a female would after a first approach pass over for another a male whose plumes had been experimentally taken away; their removal also weakened the bond between birds already paired. Attention is drawn to other features of the adult Night Heron's plumage in the captions beneath plates Plate 59 is a remarkable photograph of one of the first winter birds recorded in Britain in and a brief description of the immature plumage appears beneath it; there is no crest until first summer plumage is attained. Crepuscular in its habits as its name implies (except when feeding young in the breeding-season), the Night Heron comes out of cover usually only at dusk to catch the small fish and frogs on which it mainly lives; by day it remains in the wooded swamps or river-sides where it also nests. Essentially a colonial species R. P. Allen and F. P. Mangels (1940, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.Y., nos. 50 and 51, pp. 1-28) formed the opinion that flock-stimulation was probably essential for breeding these birds build their nests close together, often many in one tree, with other small herons, in Europe particularly with Little Egrets (Egretta garsetta) and Squaccos (Ardeola ralloides). Colonies may sometimes be quite close to human habitation and G. J. Tapia (1952, Condor, vol. 54, p. 360) described a small one in a park in the heart of Mexico City, by an artificial lake much used for boating. The nest is little more than a platform, often without any real cup and built of twigs which tend to be arranged so that they radiate out from the centre (plates 56-57). What cup there is is about a foot across and so slightly made that the 3-5 pale bluish-green eggs, about the same size as Coots' (Fulica atra) or slightly smaller, are sometimes visible through the bottom. Both sexes incubate during the three weeks period starting late April or early May and there is an elaborate nest-relief ceremony with crest-erection and billrattling. The huffish young (plates 53 and 57) are quite different from the white and buff Squacco Heron nestlings and the white young of Little and Cattle Egrets (Ardeola ibis). The young leave the nests and climb about in the tree-tops when about a month old; they are adept at this, using their bills to help them (the adults, of course, are able to move about quite gracefully among the branches). Like all herons these birds are noisy in the colony, and at other times, particularly during evening flighting, they utter deep croaks. I.J.F.-L.

3 British Birds, Vol. xlvii, PI. 53. ADULT AT NEST WITH YOUNG. CAMARGUE, SOUTH FRANCE. MAY, (Photographed by H. A. PATRICK). A stocky, stumpy, little heron without the long neck and long legs characteristic of many of the family. The black back and crown, which when the neck is retracted appear to merge into each other, contrast with grey wings and tail, white forehead and pale under-parts. The legs are pinkish in the breedingseason, yellowish the rest of the year, (see page 340).

4 British Birds, Vol. xlvii, PI. 54. ADULT AT NEST WITH YOUNG. CAMARGUE, SOUTH FRANCE. APRIL, (Photographed by G. K. YEATES). The black crown and back are shot with a greenish gloss, and the under-parts are a delicate greyish-white. Note the stout bill, the crimson eye which in the living bird at close range is very striking, and the long, white crest which in all these plates can be seen extending down over the back.

5 British Birds, Vol. xlvii, Pi. 55. ADULT SITTING ON NEST. CAMARGUE, SOUTH FRANCE. APRIL, (Photographed by G. K. YEATES). These birds nest in colonies in trees and bushes often with other herons, in Europe perhaps particularly with Squacco Herons (Ardeola ralloides) and Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta), many nests sometimes close together in one small tree. The bill is bluish-black, paler at the base; while round and in front of the eye, well shown here, is a bluish area.

6 British Birds, Vol. xlvii, PI. 56. ADULT LOOKING DOWN AT YOUNG IN NEST. CAMARGUE, SOUTH FRANCE. MAY, (Photographed by C. C. DONCASTER). This species frequently builds very high in a tree, making a not very substantial nest of often thin twigs. As is well shown here, these tend to radiate out from the centre and so stick up well above the slightly reinforced rim of the shallow nest-cup, which is only about a foot across, (see page 341).

7 British Birds, Vol. xlvii, PI. 57. ADULT APPROACHING NEST WITH YOUNG. CAMARGUE, SOUTH FRANCE. MAY, (Photographed by C. C. DONCASTER). These birds climb easily about in the trees, and their black crowns and drawnin necks give them a sinister appearance as they creep along. The huffish young (fed mainly by regurgitation) are quite different in colour from the white nestling Cattle and Little Egrets (Ardeola ibis and Egretta garzetta) (cf. antea, vol. xlvi, plates 37-38).

8 British Birds, Vol. xlvii, PI. 58. ADULT SETTLING DOWN ON NEST. CAMARGUE, SOUTH FRANCE. MAY, (Photographed by C. C. DONCASTER). The three white, thread-like feathers which form t he long, drooping crest are seen to best advantage here, together with the black crown, white forehead and bluish patch round the intense red eye. The nest is again a platform, lacking any real cup. (see page 341).

9 British Birds, Vol. xlvii, PI. 59. FIRST-WINTER BIRD. FOULNESS ISLAND, ESSEX, JANUARY 7T11, (Photographed by V. G. ROBSON). Note the thickset body, short legs and rather large feet. Immature birds are dark brown above, boldly marked with streaks of bufhsh-white; below, greyer with dark streaks. Juveniles have grey-green legs, but those of this bird were beginning to be tinged with the adult yellowish when this photograph was taken. ^see nflcxps in and icnv

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