Chicago Black-crowned Night Heron Project

06/13/2026

Field notes from River Park! 📝 Elizabeth, a second-year BCNH Project Volunteer, recently joined the Chicago Ornithological Society's Heron Watch and shared this reflection:

The night herons were my spark bird for getting back into birding after I saw them in River Park in September 2024. River Park is one of my favorite parks in the city. 🙂 All of [the attendees] seemed excited to see the herons. For a few, it was their first time at River Park. They were excited to hear about the rookery too (some of them had never been before). We saw 17 black-crowned night herons (including 2-3 subadults) and one green heron. The river was fairly high, and the herons qwoked at each other, sometimes squabbling over choice fishing spots. A number of them were able to successfully catch fish as we watched. We also chatted with other park visitors who were curious about the herons. Their sounds and antics attracted attention and the viewing area at the park was the perfect place to watch without disturbing them.

Have you spotted Black-crowned Night-Herons at River Park or elsewhere in the city? Drop your favorite local sightings and reactions in the comments below! 👇

06/07/2026

NYC's black-crowned night herons are at risk! BCNH are designated as endangered here in Illinois, so let's encourage New York to follow our lead! Please consider signing this petition urging New York State to grant BCNH protected status, improve habitat conservation, and invest in vital research. https://ujoin.co/campaigns/4478/actions/public?action_id=6955

A 55% loss in just 22 years. The Black-crowned Night Heron, historically the most abundant wading bird in our harbor, is vanishing fast. New research led by NYC Bird Alliance published today in the scientific journal Conservation Science and Practice confirms that without action, these birds face local as soon as 2037.

The good news? We can save this bird.

🚨We’re rallying New Yorkers to call on city and state policymakers to support more research and institute better protections for .
➡ You can help by signing our petition!

🔎Our scientists are working to answer the big question: what is causing Black-crowned Night Heron’s decline? We’ll be researching predation, human disturbance, water quality, and more.

Visit our website (link in bio) to sign our petition, share your sightings and stories, and sign up for action alerts to protect this bird. The journey to save Black-crowned Night Heron is only just beginning!

Together, we will save this bird.

06/06/2026

Qwok! The rookery season continues! Tomorrow morning volunteer Heron Ambassadors will be roosting outside the rookery along Stockton between Webster and Dickens from 9 am to 10:30 am.

The multisensory experience - visual, audio, olfactory - of hundreds of herons performing at all ages from adult to egg stage during this state-endangered volunter seasonal residency at Lincoln Park Zoo continues to amaze us and passerby alike!

With the older chicks getting ever more independent, the drama between them and their parents, and even unrelated adults, is reaching new heights.

Yet the words "penguins?" and "what are they?!" continue to be heard, uttered by the puzzled and perplexed.

But not you!

Remember, all of you who know about these birds when you visit the rookery or see BCNH around town are also HERON AMBASSADORS!

By sharing what you know and have learned about this species, this rookery, their endangered status, and the new research undeway to help them - all that helps to give voice to this charismatic and cryptic species that has chosen Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo to give us front row seats on their breeding season, while providing unexpected interest for their Zoo neighbors.

Tomorrow's roost will wrap at 10:30 am tomorrow, not 11 am.

Stop by anytime! Qwok!

06/04/2026

🔊🔊 Chicago’s black-crowned night heron rookery sits above the red wolf and American black bear enclosures at Lincoln Park Zoo. One theory for why they nest here is that traditional predators like raccoons and opossums won't dare hunt eggs or chicks with the big, bad wolves and bears around. Plus, the location offers easy access to great foraging at nearby ponds and Lake Michigan.

However, this special security comes with major risks. As young herons squabble with siblings and climb around branches, one misstep could mean landing in an enclosure and becoming a tasty snack! 🫣 That’s certainly an added pressure to learn how to fly!

06/01/2026

📸 Hatching season is in full swing! Listen closely for the "chick-chick-chick" sound, and look for 3 to 4-week-old black-crowned night heron chicks climbing around their nests ("branching"). We’re even starting to see some fledging occurring (❗), which happens around 6 to 7 weeks of age.

Eggs hatch in the order they were laid, sometimes up to a few days apart, so older chicks get a head start on growth. Being physically larger and stronger allows them to overpower their younger siblings in an effort to claim most of the food brought back by the parents. Talk about sibling rivalry! 👀

📸

05/29/2026

Qwok! Our kind of hang! With Chicago Ornithological Society

Join COS for an unofficial “heron hangout” in River Park! The confluence of the North Shore Channel and the North Branch of the Chicago River is a great place to spot Black-crowned Night Herons as they fly in to hunt fish for the evening. This will be a slow-paced, social bird outing where we stand at the river’s edge and observe feeding behaviors. Suitable for beginner birders.

RSVP at www.chicagobirder.org/events/2026/6/10/river-park or thru the link in our bio.

12/16/2025

Diving into the Chicago black-crowned night heron time machine: Today - 10 years = Today's low temperature + 32 degrees.

Ten years ago, the day's low was 41 degrees. This juvenile black-crowned night heron dashing along a branch at Jackson Park was experiencing a balmier Chicago December than 2025's locally overwintering birds. 2015's average temperature was 41 degrees. So far this December? 25 degrees. Brrr.

eBird's data provides evidence such as this that some few black-crowned night herons have been seen taking their chances on Chicago's winters for years. Calling dibs on their favorite foraging spots. Da herons.

It's going to warm up this week. If you're out and about and see any black-crowned night herons in and around Chicago, we'd love to hear about it.

Photo by Randy Shonkwiler - Jackson Park - December 15, 2015 from eBird
eBird checklist S26393771, photo ID # Macaulay Library ML22194441



Randy L. Shonkwiler is a long-time year-around documenter of birds in Chicago, focused on Jackson Park.