Bird
Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Nyctanassa violacea
Lives in Mississippi all year and nests here. Found in all 82 counties, across 15 habitats.
- Here
- All year
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 82 counties
- Habitats
- 15

At a glance
- Group
- Birds
- Here
- All year
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 82 counties
- Habitats
- 15
- Habitat models
- Summer, Winter
Where it lives
The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.
Habitats in Mississippi 15
Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.
Open, wet, seepage-fed bogs of the Coastal Plain and Sandhills, often with pitcher plants.
Coastal tidal marshes (salinity not stated)
Tidal marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where the source does not say whether the water is fresh, brackish or salt. A stated salinity files the marsh under freshwater tidal marshes or salt and brackish marshes instead.
Disturbed and introduced wetlands
Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.
Floodplain and bottomland forests
Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.
Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.
Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.
Still water and its edges: ponds, lakes, millponds and reservoirs.
Coastal marshes flooded by salty or brackish tides.
Salt and brackish open water of sounds, bays and estuaries, with the mud and sand flats and seagrass beds that tides cover and uncover; the vegetated marsh is salt and brackish marshes.
Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.
Flat, poorly drained uplands and terraces with oaks, sweetgum and sometimes loblolly pine, wet in winter and dry in summer, but neither a floodplain nor a swamp.
Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.
Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Other habitats in its models (100)
Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Mississippi.
- Developed, Low Intensity Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
- Developed, Medium Intensity Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
- Open Water (Aquaculture) Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Beach Summer and winter.
- Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Summer and winter.
- Unconsolidated Shore Summer and winter.
- Upper Texas Coast Beach Summer and winter.
- Louisiana Beach Summer and winter.
- Southeast Florida Beach Summer and winter.
- South Florida Shell Hash Beach Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Sea Island Beach Summer and winter.
- Southwest Florida Beach Summer and winter.
- Texas Coastal Bend Beach Summer and winter.
- South Florida Hardwood Hammock Summer and winter.
- Southwest Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Summer and winter.
- Southeast Florida Coastal Strand and Maritime Hammock Summer and winter.
- Central and South Texas Coastal Fringe Forest and Woodland Summer, only within 500 m of water.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Chenier and Upper Texas Coastal Fringe Forest and Woodland Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
- East-Central Texas Plains Riparian Forest Summer.
- Lower Mississippi River Dune Woodland and Forest Summer and winter.
- Mississippi Delta Maritime Forest Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Maritime Forest Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Maritime Forest Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
- Northeastern Interior Pine Barrens Summer, only within 500 m of water.
- East-Central Texas Plains Pine Forest and Woodland Summer, only within 500 m of water.
- North-Central Oak Barrens Summer, only within 500 m of water.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Xeric River Dune Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Salt Marsh Summer and winter.
- Florida Big Bend Salt-Brackish Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Pine Modifier Summer and winter.
- Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Clethra Modifier Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Herbaceous Wetland Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Streamhead Seepage Swamp - Pocosin - and Baygall Summer and winter.
- Central Interior and Appalachian Swamp Systems Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural Lakeshore Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Tidal Wooded Swamp Summer and winter.
- South Florida Everglades Sawgrass Marsh Summer and winter.
- Central Interior and Appalachian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland Systems Summer.
- Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh Summer and winter.
- Central Florida Herbaceous Seep Summer and winter.
- Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Wooded Swamp Summer and winter.
- South Florida Mangrove Swamp Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Large River Swamp Summer and winter.
- South Florida Bayhead Swamp Summer and winter.
- Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Taxodium/Nyssa Modifier Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Oak Dominated Modifier Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Forested Wetland Summer and winter.
- South Florida Dwarf Cypress Savanna Summer and winter.
- Southern and Central Appalachian Bog and Fen Summer and winter.
- South Florida Wet Marl Prairie Summer and winter.
- South Florida Cypress Dome Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Depressional Wetland Systems Summer.
- Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Summer and winter.
- Southern Piedmont/Ridge and Valley Upland Depression Swamp Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Depression Pondshore Summer and winter.
- South Florida Freshwater Slough and Gator Hole Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
- Central Appalachian Riparian - Forest Modifier Summer.
- South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Forest Modifier Summer.
- Southern Piedmont Large Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
- South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer.
- Eastern Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer.
- Central Interior and Appalachian Floodplain Systems Summer and winter.
- Central Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems Summer and winter.
- Tamaulipan Riparian Systems Summer.
- Southern Coastal Plain Hydric Hammock Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Forest Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
- Southern Piedmont Small Floodplain and Riparian Forest Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Brownwater River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
- Red River Large Floodplain Forest Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Brownwater Stream Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
- South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian Summer.
- South-Central Interior Large Floodplain Summer and winter.
- Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
- South Florida Pine Flatwoods Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
- Central Atlantic Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Wet Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Winter.
- Central Florida Pine Flatwoods Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
- South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Wet Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Flatwoods Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
- North-Central Interior Wet Flatwoods Summer.
- Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods Summer and winter, only within 500 m of water.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Nonriverine Wet Hardwood Flatwoods Summer and winter.
Seasons in Mississippi
- Year-round: nests here, in 10 of 82 counties.
- Migratory: does not nest here, in 3 of 82 counties.
- Summer: nests here, in 78 of 82 counties.
Also found in this habitat
Plants 461
Plants named in NatureServe descriptions of these habitats that grow in Mississippi. Shared habitat, not food.
- Common WaxmyrtleMorella cerifera
- TitiCyrilla racemiflora
- Swamp TupeloNyssa biflora
- Red MapleAcer rubrum
- Virginia SweetspireItea virginica
- SweetgumLiquidambar styraciflua
- Sweetbay MagnoliaMagnolia virginiana
- Pinus elliottii var. elliottiiPinus elliottii var. elliottii
- Pond CypressTaxodium ascendens
- ButtonbushCephalanthus occidentalis
- Shining FetterbushLyonia lucida
- Slash PinePinus elliottii
- Serenoa repensSerenoa repens
- SugarberryCeltis laevigata
- Coastal Sweet-pepperbushClethra alnifolia
- Green HawthornCrataegus viridis
- Green AshFraxinus pennsylvanica
- Possumhaw HollyIlex decidua
- InkberryIlex glabra
- Pinguicula planifoliaPinguicula planifolia
- Laurel OakQuercus laurifolia
- Dwarf PalmettoSabal minor
- Whitetop PitcherplantSarracenia leucophylla
- Bald CypressTaxodium distichum
Wildlife 265
Other animals whose habitat models include the same habitats in Mississippi. Not sighting records.
- Black-crowned Night-heronNycticorax nycticorax
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Boat-tailed GrackleQuiscalus major
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagica
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- European StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Great EgretArdea alba
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatus
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quiscula
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Northern ShovelerAnas clypeata
NatureServe Explorer, CC BY 4.0. USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models.
Sources
- USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models (2001)
- USGS GAP winter habitat model for Yellow-crowned Night-heron
- USGS Gap Analysis Project range maps (2001), modeled by watershed; migratory gives no dates
- NatureServe Explorer (CC BY 4.0), habitat names
- US Census TIGER/Line counties
- Names follow the USGS Gap Analysis Project (2001)












































