The yellow-crowned night heron’s Latin name, Nyctanassa violacea, literally means “violet night queen.” The bird’s striking yellow crown and bluish-purple feathers certainly make for a majestic silhouette at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel. The avian royalty’s favorite feast is any variety of crustacean. The heron will forage slowly through the water, staying close to the edge. Once it hones in on the unlucky prey, it will quickly strike forward, sometimes swallowing the creature whole. Other times, the heron will impale the unsuspecting crab with its beak and shake it back and forth violently until the crab breaks apart. The refuge is at 1 Wildlife Drive.
