About the Rodrigues Night Heron
The Rodrigues night heron is an extinct species of heron that was endemic to the Mascarene island of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean. The species was first mentioned as "bitterns" in two accounts from 1691–1693 and 1725–1726, and these were correlated with subfossil remains found and described in the latter part of the 19th century. The bones showed that the bird was a heron, first named Ardea megacephala in 1873, but moved to the night heron genus Nycticorax in 1879 after more remains were described. The specific name megacephala is Greek for "great-headed". Two related extinct species from the other Mascarene islands have also been identified from accounts and remains: the Mauritius night heron and the Réunion night heron.
Source: Wikipedia
Taxonomy & Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Pelecaniformes |
| Family | Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns (Ardeidae) |
| Species | Nycticorax megacephalus |
| Species Codes | rodnih1, RNHE |
Frequently Asked Questions
What family does the Rodrigues Night Heron belong to?
The Rodrigues Night Heron (Nycticorax megacephalus) belongs to the Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns family (Ardeidae), in the order Pelecaniformes.
How can I identify the Rodrigues Night Heron?
The Rodrigues night heron is an extinct species of heron that was endemic to the Mascarene island of Rodrigues in the Indian Ocean. The species was first mentioned as \"bitterns\" in two accounts from 1691–1693 and 1725–1726, and these were correlated with subfossil remains found and described in the ...
Where can I report a Rodrigues Night Heron sighting?
You can log sightings of Rodrigues Night Heron on eBird (ebird.org) using species code rodnih1, or on iNaturalist.