Support Black-Crowned Night Heron Research

Invest in conservation! Help fund research and long-term collaborative strategies for conserving Black-crowned Night Herons in Illinois.

Your tax-exempt contribution will support the ongoing research and help solve the conservation story for this bird.

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Research is about asking good questions with measurable outcomes. How can data collected inform long-term conservation efforts?

• Why are they nesting at Lincoln Park  Zoo?
• Where are they foraging?
• How do they adapt to urban Landscapes?
• Can we help them re-establish old rookeries with decoys and recordings?
• Can tracking devices help us learn about habitat use and post-breeding migrations?

In 2024, Henry Adams (Wildlife Management Coordinator, Lincoln Park Zoo) along with Michael Ward, Michael Avara and Sarah Slayton (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) and Brad Semel (Illinois Department of Natural Resources) conducted research through such methods as banding and the use of tracking devices to help monitor the herons across Chicagoland. Volunteers with Chicago Black-crowned Night Heron Project helped with field work, additional boots-on-the-ground monitoring, public outreach and community engagement.

During the 2025 season, the team plans to add two new conspecific sites and test a more realistic decoy, designed and 3D printed by Windy City Bird Lab. Chicago Black-crowned Night Heron Project will add new volunteer opportunities, including painting decoys. Help support the continuation of this endangered bird conservation project: sponsor a black-crowned night heron decoy for $100.

Donations by check should be made out to “Illinois Audubon Society” and mailed to PO Box 2547, Springfield IL 62708.