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Species › Birds

Black-Crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Order
Pelecaniformes
Family
Ardeidae
Presence in the Strait
Seasonal
Abundance
scarce
Protection in Spain
Special protection (List)
In Spanish
Martinete común

Photograph: British Bug Man, CC0, vía iNaturalist

Length
58–65 cm
Wingspan
105–112 cm
Weight
650 g
050100LENGTH58–65 cmWINGSPAN105–112 cmcentimetres

Presence in the Strait

Scarce summer visitor to rivers and reservoirs. Returned to breed at La Janda towards the middle of the ‘90s (15-20 pairs), where it used to be common at the beginning of the century. Some birds winter in this area.

Identification

Medium-sized heron with mostly grey plumage. Black crown and back. Juveniles are brown and buff, with white spotting on upperparts. Characteristic frog-like croak in flight, similar to the Raven.

Movements

Migrant with peaks in the 2nd hf. April and 2nd hf. August.

Ring recoveries

Spain (2) & France (2).

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Gallery

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.