Junos Security

Colophon

The animal on the cover of Junos Security is a European night heron. This is a local name for the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), which is found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. The scientific name means “night raven,” an apt label for this noisy nocturnal bird. (The black-crowned night heron is also nicknamed “quark,” an imitation of the sound of its call.)

These medium-size herons have distinctive black crowns and backs and gray or white bodies. Their necks are short and their bodies stocky. They have red eyes and black bills. Their relatively short legs are usually yellow, but the legs of both sexes turn pink once they form a pair during breeding season.

Black-crowned night herons breed in wetlands, forming nesting colonies in trees or on the ground. These colonies are usually fairly small, but they can include as many as several thousand families. Up to 30 pairs of herons may nest in a single tree. These herons may also form multispecies colonies with other herons or ibis. A clutch consists of three to eight pale blue or green eggs. Black-crowned night herons do not recognize their own chicks and will brood young from other nests.

Black-crowned night herons are crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) and nocturnal (active at night). They are opportunistic feeders, and they will eat prey as varied as fish, frogs, snakes, lizards, dragonflies, mollusks, small rodents, bats, leeches, and eggs and chicks of other birds. They may vibrate ...