Black-Crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax is the most-common heron in the NYC area. It is also the most wide-spread of herons on the planet, being found on five continents. This one was very close to me, and everybody else, in Prospect Park recently, and seemed oblivious to all of us gawkers.
As their common name suggests, they do most of their foraging at night along the edges of water and on tidal flats — hunting for fish, crustaceans, frogs, small mammals, eggs, etc. — but are often visible during the day near water bodies, sometimes roosting in large numbers. The name Nycticorax means “night raven” and comes from the harsh call of the bird.These reddish legs are a breeding season characteristic for both sexes. During other times of the year, the legs and feet are yellowish. Check out the nails on the back toes.