Nyctanassa is a genus of night herons from the Americas, especially (but not exclusively) warmer coastal regions. They were formerly included in the genus Nycticorax, but today all major authorities recognize them as distinct.
Taxonomy The genus Nyctanassa was introduced in 1887 by the Norwegian born zoologist Leonhard Stejneger to accommodate a single species, the yellow-crowned night heron, which is therefore the type species.
Etymology The genus name Nyctanassa combines the : , genitive : meaning "night" with : meaning "queen" or "lady".
Species The genus contains the following two species, of which only one is still extant: Image Scientific name Common name Distribution Nyctanassa violacea Yellow-crowned night heron United States (South Florida, Gulf Coast, and eastern Texas), Mexico, Central America, Galápagos, the Caribbean and northern South America (south to Peru and Brazil) Nyctanassa carcinocatactes Bermuda night heron Bermuda; extinct
References
Further reading
Peterson, Alan P. (Editor). 1999. Zoological Nomenclature Resource (Zoonomen). Accessed 2007-7-29. Remsen, J. V., Jr., C. D. Cadena, A. Jaramillo, M. Nores, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, T. S. Schulenberg, F. G. Stiles, D. F. Stotz, and K. J. Zimmer. [Version 2007-07-29.] A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithologists' Union. Accessed 2007-04-10.