Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea)

Abundance: Very Uncommon (records in 9 counties, 3 in Kentucky and 6 in Tennessee).

Status: Summer Resident; designated as threatened by the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission (2004); photograph (26 June 2002; Burgess Falls State Natural Area, Putnam County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman photo).

Regional High Count: 8 (June 1991; Putnam County, Tennessee; Roy C. Phillips et al.; Stedman 1993); includes several young in 2 nests.

Information on Earliest Record of Occurrence in Each County: 

24/25 April 1965 (1--age unspecified) site unspecified, Putnam County, Tennessee (observer unspecified; Anonymous 1965a), a Spring Bird Count record.

7/8 May 1966 (2--age unspecified) site unspecified, Cumberland County, Tennessee (observer unspecified; Anonymous 1966a), a Spring Bird Count record.

July and August 1974 (1-2--probable pair) Cane Creek, Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park and Natural Area, Van Buren County, Tennessee (David F. Vogt unpubl. data and pers. com.).

30 May 1982 (2--age unspecified) Great Falls below dam on Caney Fork River, Rock Island State Park, Warren and White counties, Tennessee (Michael L. Bierly [field card], Claude W. Brown; Stedman 1986c), a TOS Foray [unpubl.] record.

9 July 1984 (2--1 adult and 1 immature) South Fork Creek, Barren County, Kentucky (Wayne M. Mason; Stamm 1984d).

6 June 1993 (1 adult) near Coalfield, Morgan County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman; Knight 1993b), a Breeding Bird Survey record.

9 May 2000 (2--probable immatures [F. Renfrow pers. com.]) along Cumberland River below Wolf Creek Dam, Kendall Recreation Area, Russell County, Kentucky (Frank Renfro; Busroe 2000c).

22 May 2009 (2--adult, probably a pair) Green River Wildlife Management Area, Adair County, Kentucky (Derek Coomer photo).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Spring: 26 March 2003 (1 adult; Putnam County, Tennessee; Stephen J. Stedman; Casteel 2003c).

    Late Fall: 9 October 2004 (1 juvenile; Putnam  County, Tennessee; Van Harris, Michael J. Hawkins, Carol D. Williams photo; Casteel 2005a).

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent): Nests have been found at 2 sites in Putnam County, Tennessee: southern Algood (1991 [Stedman 1993]); and Burgess Falls State Natural Area (2002 [Casteel 2002c] and 2003).  The presence of an immature in July in Barren County, Kentucky (Stamm 1984d), suggests breeding at that site. The periodic appearance of adults below the dam in Rock Island State Park, Warren and White counties, Tennessee, since at least 1982 (Stedman 1986c) strongly suggests breeding has taken place at that site.  The appearance of 2 immatures in May in Russell County, Kentucky, at most indicates possible breeding at that site.  The lone sightings of this night-heron in Cumberland and Morgan counties, Tennessee, make judgments about breeding at those sites imprudent.

Habitat: Usually found along rivers with rocky  bottoms where crayfish are plentiful (e.g., Falling Water River below dam at Burgess Falls State Natural Area, Putnam and White counties, Tennessee; Caney Fork River below dam at Rock Island State Park, Warren and White counties, Tennessee; and Cumberland River below Wolf Creek Dam at Kendall Recreation Area), but may occur in other habitats (as near Algood, Putnam County, Tennessee, where various swamps and marshes have been used by foraging Yellow-crowns).

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: No registrations.

Remarks: A somewhat secretive species that prefers habitat often inaccessible to human observers, the Yellow-crown is probably a somewhat more widely distributed breeder than the available data indicate.

Counties with Observations (boldfaced):

To see a map (Figure 1) displaying the data in the table above, click on the boldfaced word in this sentence.

Literature Cited