A Voice for Chicago’s Night Herons

A volunteer project focused on conservation, education, and research for Chicago’s urban heron colony.

Each spring and summer, hundreds of Illinois-endangered Black-crowned Night Herons return to nest in a large rookery at Lincoln Park Zoo - the last major colony in the state.

These medium-sized wading birds live along wetlands, rivers, and shorelines, and can often be seen flying, foraging, and roosting across Chicago.

This volunteer-driven project connects people with the urban colony and supports the research, education, and conservation work helping to protect the species.

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Sticks! 😍 If you’ve visited the rookery recently, you’ve likely spotted Black-crowned Night-herons flying overhead with nesting material galore. Males often gather sticks straight from the source by snapping them right off trees, then br
Oh my! There's so much action at the night heron rookery right now! Join us to sketch it with Urban Sketchers Chicago this Thursday! This will be Urban Sketchers third visit to collectively observe and document this special state-endangered bird
A night heron with four wings?! We're seeing double on North Pond! With hungry chicks to feed at the rookery, parent herons are active during the day. But they have not developed an extra set of wings to speed things up. This was two adults vying
Qwok! Tonight's a roost! Volunteer Heron Ambassadors will be outside the Zoo and rookery along the Stockton sidewalk between Webster and Dickens starting at 6 pm until about 8. We'll be on the lookout for all kinds of activity, from chicks to would-b
Two-fer! Happy Monday! May your week be filled with this kind of heron-luck! We'll be spotting chicks and talking night herons tomorrow night back outside Lincoln Park Zoo along Stockton between Webster and Dickens - weather permitting - from 6 pm t