Is the night heron a protected animal? Read this and you will understand

The night heron generally refers to the black-crowned night heron, a common widely distributed water bird that inhabits and is active in streams, ponds, rivers, swamps and paddy fields in plains and low hilly areas. So is it a protected animal?

Is the night heron a protected animal?

The night heron is a protected animal, and it has been listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2012 Red List of Threatened Species ver3.1——Least Concern (LC). So it cannot be hunted, and illegal hunting requires bearing the corresponding legal responsibility, so everyone must pay attention.

What does the night heron look like?

The night heron's forehead, crown, nape, crest, hind neck, shoulders and back are greenish-black with a metallic sheen; the base of the forehead and the eyebrow stripe are white, and 2-3 long ribbon-like white ornamental feathers grow on the back of the head, about 190mm long, hanging down onto the back; the rump, both wings and tail feathers are grey; the tail is rounded, with 12 tail feathers; the chin and throat are white, the cheeks, sides of the neck, chest and flanks are pale grey, and the belly is white. The upperparts of the young bird are dark brown, edged with pale brown feather-shaft streaks and white or brownish-white star-shaped terminal spots. The underparts are white and densely covered with fine dark brown longitudinal streaks, and the under-tail coverts are brownish-white. The iris is blood-red, the bill is black, the bare part in front of the eye is yellow-green, and the bare part of the shank, the tarsometatarsus and the toes are horn-yellow. The young bird's bill tip is black, the base is yellow-green, the iris is red, the lores are green, and the feet are yellow.

In addition, the night heron mainly feeds on animal food such as fish, frogs, shrimp and aquatic insects. It usually comes out from its habitat in small groups after dusk, wading and foraging in twos and threes in the shallow water at the water's edge, and also stands alone on a tree stump or branch in the water waiting for prey, its eyes fixed intently on the water. Before the sun comes up in the early morning, they return one after another to hidden spots in the trees to rest.