Black-crowned Night Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Photo: jitensha2021 / CC BY-NC 4.0 / iNaturalist
The Black-crowned Night Heron is a medium-sized heron with a blue-black head and back and white plumes trailing from the nape. Its Japanese name is said to come from an old Heian-period tale. Nocturnal, it hunts fish and frogs at the water's edge from dusk. Breeding colonies shared with gulls and other birds on islands in Miyagi are designated Natural Monuments.
- Scientific name
- Nycticorax nycticorax
- Group
- Birds
- Prefectures
- Miyagi
- Japanese Red List (Ministry of the Environment)
- VulnerableMinistry of the Environment 5th Red List (2026)
- 日本語
- ゴイサギ
- 简体中文
- 夜鹭
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Where to see the Black-crowned Night Heron
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Frequently asked questions
The Black-crowned Night Heron is designated as a species without a fixed area and lives in places such as Miyagi.
You can see the Black-crowned Night Heron at Sapporo Maruyama Zoo, Kobe Municipal Oji Zoo, Toyama Municipal Family Park, among others (confirmed on each facility's official website on 2026-10-15).
The Black-crowned Night Heron is listed as "Vulnerable" in the Ministry of the Environment 5th Red List (2026) (listed as ゴイサギ).
Animals related to the Black-crowned Night Heron
Animals in the same group or designated in the same area.
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