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Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)
(c) Linda, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Linda · CC BY-NC 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)
BirdsIn Ohio

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Nyctanassa violacea (Linnaeus, 1758)

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Pelecaniformes
Family
Ardeidae
Genus
Nyctanassa

Conservation status

Of special interest in Ohio (Ohio Division of Wildlife, June 2026)

Ohio's Division of Wildlife names it as one at the edge of its range in Ohio, breeding here at low numbers. It is not listed as endangered or threatened.

We remember your county on this device only, until you clear it. Your ZIP code, city or location never leaves your device.

Range

Where it is recorded

Season shown in 0 of Ohio's 88 counties. Its mapped range covers 65. Explore Ohio

  • No result yet (21)
  • Within its mapped range (54)
  • Recorded, too few records for a result (12)
  • Recorded, season not shown (1)
  • Season shown (0)
Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files, 1:500,000. Range: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Species Range Maps CONUS_2001 (2018). Show as a table
Counties as a table
Yellow-crowned Night Heron by Ohio county: records and mapped range
CountyRecordsIn mapped range
Adams CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Allen CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Ashland CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Ashtabula CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Athens CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultNo
Auglaize CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Belmont CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Brown CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Butler County22 · Recorded, season not shownYes: migration
Carroll CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Champaign CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Clark CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Clermont CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Clinton CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Columbiana CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Coshocton CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: migration
Crawford CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Cuyahoga CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: migration
Darke CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Defiance CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Delaware CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Erie CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: migration
Fairfield CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Fayette CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Franklin CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Fulton CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Gallia CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Geauga CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Greene CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Guernsey CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Hamilton CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: summer, migration
Hancock CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Hardin CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Harrison CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultNo
Henry CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Highland CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Hocking CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Holmes CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: migration
Huron CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Jackson CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Jefferson CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Knox CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Lake CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: migration
Lawrence CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Licking CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Logan CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Lorain CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: migration
Lucas CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: migration
Madison CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Mahoning CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Marion CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Medina CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Meigs CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Mercer CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Miami CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Monroe CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Montgomery CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Morgan CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Morrow CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Muskingum CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Noble CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Ottawa CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Paulding CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Perry CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Pickaway CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Pike CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Portage CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Preble CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Putnam CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Richland CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Ross CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Sandusky CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Scioto CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Seneca CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Shelby CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Stark CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Summit CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: migration
Trumbull CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: migration
Tuscarawas CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Union CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: migration
Van Wert CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Vinton CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Warren CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Washington CountyNo qualifying records yetNo
Wayne CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Williams CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Wood CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration
Wyandot CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: migration

Season

When it is recorded

In Ohio

Mid-July to mid-September, middle week mid-August

Recorded in two separate seasons, each shown with its own early, middle and late weeks. An earlier season is not shown: most records are from one year.

Show over the bars
Recording in Ohio · records of all species each week, 1,691,199 in all

Records per week from 61 records in 9 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not a season or how common it is.

Show as a table
Records of Yellow-crowned Night Heron in Ohio each week, and records of all species
WeekRecords of Yellow-crowned Night HeronYears recordedRecords of all species
Jan 4–10006,211
Jan 11–17005,146
Jan 18–24004,645
Jan 25–31004,698
Feb 1–7006,023
Feb 8–14005,888
Feb 15–21005,436
Feb 22–28006,846
Mar 1–7008,321
Mar 8–140010,384
Mar 15–210012,620
Mar 22–280013,949
Mar 29 – Apr 40019,661
Apr 5–110026,860
Apr 12–180039,925
Apr 19–251141,623
Apr 26 – May 21156,391
May 3–94152,952
May 10–160053,785
May 17–233157,698
May 24–301154,651
May 31 – Jun 60053,099
Jun 7–134253,700
Jun 14–203356,625
Jun 21–273155,361
Jun 28 – Jul 41158,477
Jul 5–111161,336
Jul 12–184364,722
Jul 19–253269,753
Jul 26 – Aug 13159,416
Aug 2–84259,712
Aug 9–155255,994
Aug 16–225454,328
Aug 23–294451,772
Aug 30 – Sep 52257,167
Sep 6–122259,075
Sep 13–196354,543
Sep 20–261145,860
Sep 27 – Oct 30043,180
Oct 4–100037,841
Oct 11–170030,824
Oct 18–240021,156
Oct 25–310019,021
Nov 1–70014,172
Nov 8–140012,621
Nov 15–21007,965
Nov 22–28008,136
Nov 29 – Dec 5006,083
Dec 6–12006,004
Dec 13–19005,423
Dec 20–26005,661
Dec 27 – Jan 2008,459

What these results show

These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.

Identification

How to identify it

Often confused with

  • Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax1,260 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias372 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Green Heron Butorides virescens106 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea87 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant

From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.

Months not reported

  1. Jan: no record
  2. Feb: no record
  3. Mar: no record
  4. Apr: recorded
  5. May: recorded
  6. Jun: recorded
  7. Jul: recorded
  8. Aug: recorded
  9. Sep: recorded
  10. Oct: no record
  11. Nov: no record
  12. Dec: no record

Not reported in Ohio in October to March, 2016 to 2025.

Time of day it is recorded

midnight6 amnoon6 pm

From 61 Ohio records with a time. Most records are made when people are outside, so night and early-morning species are under-recorded.

Land cover where it is recorded

Land coverIts recordsAll Ohio records
Developed32%49%
Wetland32%5%
Farmland19%11%
Forest13%31%
Open water3%3%

From 31 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Sources

Where these results come from

  • Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
  • Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
  • See it on iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)OpenPhenology is independent and not affiliated with iNaturalist.

Records behind the Ohio result

61 records from 2 datasets.

To cite: the GBIF download doi:10.15468/dl.y2jkt8 (opens in a new tab).

A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.