Junior
Black-Crowned Night Heron Ambassador
Male
2018 / Adult
Imprinted
About Junior
Junior was found in Arizona as a fledgling and taken to a local vet, then transferred a month later to Arizona Game & Fish where he stayed until his arrival at Liberty in 2018. Already imprinted upon his arrival at AG&F, he was non-releasable and became a popular member of the education team at Liberty.
Description
Black-crowned night herons are found across North America. They live in fresh, salt, and brackish wetlands. They are most active at night or at dusk and are the most widespread heron in the world.
Life Span
The oldest black-crowned night heron on record was a female who was at least 21 years, 5 months old. On average the life span is 10 to 15 years.
Prey / Food
They are opportunistic feeders that eat many kinds of animals including earthworms, insects, clams, fish, amphibians, snakes, rodents, birds, and eggs. They also eat carrion, plant materials, and garbage from landfills.
Babies / Nests
Stick nests are built in trees or in cattails in safe habitats like an island, swamp, or over water. Black-crowned night herons nest in colonies, often with a dozen nests in a single tree. Females lay 3 to 5 eggs that hatch after 29 to 34 days. Fledging is usually when they are 6 weeks old.
Native American Folklore
In Native folklore herons are seen as symbols of patience, grace, and wisdom. They are admired for their ability to move between worlds – the land and water – with ease, embodying a connection to both the earthly and spiritual realms.
Herons signify infinite patience. They stand in shallow waters without moving a muscle for hours, until an unwary fish swims by thinking that their foot is just a stick in the mud. Heron then moves with lightning-swift efficiency, snares the fish in its bill and flies away. The lesson here is, “wait as long as it takes to be ready, then act fast.
Herons are symbols of good luck. If Native fishermen see a heron, it is a good sign for a successful fishing trip.
In an old story, Heron and Hummingbird agree to race. They said to each other, "We will race and whoever reaches the big dead tree on the riverbank first shall own all the water." Heron started off fast while Hummingbird took his time, tasting the flowers along the way. Once he saw he was behind Hummingbird raced passed Heron to take the lead but again stopped to taste the flowers and was passed by Heron. This went on for days until Heron finally was able to stay in the lead and reached the big dead tree first. When Hummingbird got there Heron said to him, "We agreed that whoever got to the dead tree first should own all of the water. Now all of the water is mine." So, from now on Heron said to Hummingbird, "You must not drink water but can only taste the flowers when you travel about." Since then Hummingbird only taste flowers.
This is how it has always been told.
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