Herons and egrets (Ardeidae)
Baby black-crowned night herons: from egg to fledgling
A Black-crowned Night Heron lays 3–5 eggs. They hatch after 21–26 days, and the young leave the nest 21–28 days later — about 42–54 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 3–5 eggs
- Incubation
- 21–26 days
- Time in the nest
- 21–28 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 42–54 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
- Nest
- Stick nest in trees or reeds, in colonies
- Uses nest boxes
- No
Stage by stage
- Eggs (21–26 days): 3–5 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (21–28 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season black-crowned night herons mainly eat fish, frogs, crayfish and insects.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young black-crowned night herons are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1 per season.
When black-crowned night herons nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Alabama (Feb) and latest in Alberta (Apr). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
| State / province | Nesting season |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Feb–Jul |
| Alberta | Apr–Jul |
| Arizona | Feb–Jul |
| Arkansas | Mar–Jul |
| California | Feb–Jul |
| Colorado | Mar–Jul |
| Connecticut | Mar–Jul |
| Delaware | Mar–Jul |
| Florida | Feb–Jul |
| Georgia | Feb–Jul |
| Idaho | Mar–Jul |
| Illinois | Mar–Jul |
| Indiana | Mar–Jul |
| Iowa | Mar–Jul |
| Kansas | Mar–Jul |
| Kentucky | Mar–Jul |
| Louisiana | Feb–Jul |
| Maine | Apr–Jul |
| Manitoba | Apr–Jul |
| Maryland | Mar–Jul |
| Massachusetts | Mar–Jul |
| Michigan | Mar–Jul |
| Minnesota | Apr–Jul |
| Mississippi | Feb–Jul |
| Missouri | Mar–Jul |
| Montana | Apr–Jul |
| Nebraska | Mar–Jul |
| Nevada | Mar–Jul |
| New Hampshire | Apr–Jul |
| New Jersey | Mar–Jul |
| New Mexico | Mar–Jul |
| New York | Mar–Jul |
| North Carolina | Mar–Jul |
| North Dakota | Apr–Jul |
| Ohio | Mar–Jul |
| Oklahoma | Mar–Jul |
| Ontario | Apr–Jul |
| Oregon | Mar–Jul |
| Pennsylvania | Mar–Jul |
| Quebec | Apr–Jul |
| Rhode Island | Mar–Jul |
| Saskatchewan | Apr–Jul |
| South Carolina | Feb–Jul |
| South Dakota | Mar–Jul |
| Tennessee | Mar–Jul |
| Texas | Feb–Jul |
| Utah | Mar–Jul |
| Vermont | Apr–Jul |
| Virginia | Mar–Jul |
| Washington | Mar–Jul |
| West Virginia | Mar–Jul |
| Wisconsin | Apr–Jul |
| Wyoming | Apr–Jul |
Found a baby Black-crowned Night Heron?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about black-crowned night herons
Frequently asked
How long do baby black-crowned night herons stay in the nest?
About 21–28 days after hatching. Eggs take 21–26 days to hatch, so it is roughly 42–54 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Black-crowned Night Heron lay?
3–5 eggs per clutch, with 1 per season.
Where do black-crowned night herons nest?
Stick nest in trees or reeds, in colonies.
What should I do if I find a baby Black-crowned Night Heron on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.