ˈnight-heron Ornith.
[f. night n. + heron.]
A heron of the genus Nycticorax, represented in Europe by N. griseus or europæus; the common American species is N. nævius or gardeni, the Qua-bird.
| 1784 Pennant Arct. Zool. II. 450 Night Heron. 1813 Wilson Amer. Ornith. VII. 105 The food of the Night Heron, or Qua-bird, is chiefly composed of small fish. 1831 Rennie Montagu's Ornith. Dict. 338. 1883 Harper's Mag. Jan. 189/1, I have frequently found upon the breast of the night-heron a yellow oily powder. |