Night heron

    Nycticorax nycticorax

Castilian: Martinete común

Catalan: Martinet de nit

Gallego: Garza da noite

Euskera: Amiltxori arrunta

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Ciconiiformes

Family: Ardeidae

Migratory status: Summer resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category.

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THREATS

The destruction of wetlands, dam building and hydrological plans make it very difficult to maintain the colonies. Disturbances occurring during nesting season that can cause the nest to be abandoned should also be mentioned.

Length / size: 58-65 cm / 90-100 cm

Identification: A medium-sized bird that is characterised by its robust black bill, yellow legs and red eyes. In adults the crown and back are black, the wings greyish and the rest white; reproductive birds have 2-3 white cephalic feathers that are 24 cm long. In contrast, juveniles have yellow eyes and bills, and their backs and wings are a brownish-grey colour mottled with white.

Song: It is noisy in its colony; in flight it makes a sound similar to a frog's croak, "cuarc".

Diet: It feeds on fish, amphibians, reptiles, crustaceans, insects, water voles, etc. It hunts by lying in wait for its prey hidden in branches.

Reproduction: It is a colonial species that mixes with other species of herons in noisy breeding colonies. The female builds the nest in trees or shrubs using material that the male contributes (stalks and branches); however, incubation is performed by both sexes. After about 20 days, the chicks are already moving about branches.

HABITAT

It occupies wet areas, preferrably rivers and lakes, although it can also adapt to certain salty conditions.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed throughout the middle and low courses of the peninsula's large rivers and their principal tributaries, as well as in the Mediterranean wetlands (including the Balearic Islands) and the southern coast.

In Castile and León: It is distributed throughout the community's inland waterways, with regular populations in Palencia, León, Valladolid and Zamora.

Movements and migrations: This species remains with us from March to October, and then it migrates to tropical Africa, where it finds its wintering areas.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 2170-4430 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: There is an estimated population of 228 breeding pairs (2001 data).