Truly the “crowned” jewel of the Sanctuary, the Black-crowned Night Heron is stocky and short compared to its other heron relatives.  Adults tend to be 23-26 inches long and weigh around 25-36 ounces with a wing span of 45-47 inches.  They are as the name suggests, most active at night foraging the wetlands for food.  During the day, they tend to roost in colonies around Paul’s Pond, on the northern side of the Sanctuary.  If you stand by the fence on Second Avenue, you may see these beautiful birds with their striking red-orange iris eyes and blue-black and gray plumage or you can watch these birds real time from April to September via our streaming video Night Heron Cam thru our website or the Borough of Stone Harbor website.  Please do not disturb these birds because they tend to disgorge their food when approached or scared to flight.