nyctanassa (from nyks, night, and anassa, queen) violacea (violet-colored)
Wednesday, April 15, 1981 — 3:30 pm
Barrington, Illinois — Baker’s Lake
Two Yellow-crowned Night Herons were on the island in the middle of the lake, perched on a branch about 20 feet up a tree. One mounted the other and stood erect on its back for a few seconds, then flapped down into the brush that hid the lower part of the tree. A few minutes later, it reappeared, rising straight up like an elevator, wings flapping slowly; then, hovering in one spot, it turned around and landed on a branch.