Yellow-crowned Night-Herons are very much crustacean specialists, eating in large part crabs, although they will also eat small fish, frogs, reptiles and mammals just like other herons. I've even seen them feeding in fields at night, presumably eating insects and/or mammals. Thursday night at Heislerville I watched three, two adults and an immature bird, catch crab after crab right as the sun was setting.
Ah well done. Love the reflections and pink lighting with these crustaceous creeping crab killing carnivores.
ReplyDeleteOne of my fondest birding memories from living in Dallas was watching a family of Night-herons catch crawdads at the pond in my gross apartment complex.
That young one is weird looking, I've never seen a YC like that before. Great series, this is a species I'd like to spend some more time with....which is difficult, here in CA.
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