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Bermuda Night Heron


Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Nyctanassa
Species: Nyctanassa carcinocatactes

The Bermuda Night Heron (Nyctanassa carcinocatactes) is an extinct species of night heron that was endemic to Bermuda. Its anatomy was similar to that of the Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea), but it had a more massive beak, skull and legs. The species was described in 2006 from subfossil remains from the Pleistocene and Holocene found in lakes and caves.

Feeding[]

The heron's structure of the skull and beak suggested that it probably specialized in feeding on crabs.

Extinction[]

It became extinct after the settlement of the islands by English colonists (from 1609), apparently in the 17th century. The last mention of the species dates back to 1623.

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