| any of several thick-billed, crepuscular or nocturnal herons of the genus Nycticorax and related genera, as N. nycticorax (black-crowned night heron), of the Old and New Worlds, and Nyctanassa violacea (yellow-crowned night heron), of America. |
| night heron n. Any of several nocturnal or crepuscular herons of the genus Nycticorax, especially the black-crowned heron, N. nycticorax. |