Community Corner
MCCD Helps Endangered Heron Fly Again
The yellow-crowned night heron, found by a Johnsburg resident, is rare in Illinois and listed as an endangered species.
Press release from the McHenry County Conservation District:
Sept. 16, 2020
It was mid-July when McHenry County Conservation District’s Wildlife Resource Center staff received a call from a Village of Johnsburg resident who reported she found a hurt bird with a long beak. Lying listless in a pile of mulch was a juvenile yellow-crowned night-heron. While yellow-crowned night-herons are a fairly common bird in the southeastern United States, they are rare in Illinois and listed as an endangered species in this state.
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Conservation District staff cared for the weak, emaciated heron for six and half weeks.
“At first he wasn’t even strong enough to stand. But after a couple of days of hand feeding, he started to show improvement and within the week was able to stand and feed himself. He had a particular fondness for raw shrimp and pinkie mice,” said Beth Gunderson Wildlife Resource Center Specialist.
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In order for him to strengthen his flight muscles, the Wildlife Resource Center staff moved him into an outdoor flight cage to further his rehabilitation. Each day he got a little stronger and showed improvement. Until finally, the day had come. On August 31 McHenry County Conservation staff, with the assistance of an Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) biologist, released the rehabilitated Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron into suitable habitat near the Fox River. Success!
Standing around two feet tall, these stocky herons spend most of their time in and around wetlands, marshes, and wet fields. In the south their diet consists mainly of crabs, but the northern populations eat mostly crayfish, along with snails, mussels, frogs, fish, and worms.
The juveniles look completely different than the adults and can be identified by their brown, streaky bodies and thick black bill. It takes the young 3-4 years to get their full adult plumage, which consists of a grayish body and a striking head pattern: a black head, white cheek patches, and a pale yellow crown with plumes on top of the head.
This press release was produced by the McHenry County Conservation District. The views expressed here are the author's own.
