BirdAnalyst
Species · Virginia · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Yellow-crowned Night Heron Population Trend in Virginia

All statesWetland birds

Yellow-crowned Night Heron in Virginia has fallen sharply: down 64% on the route-weighted index since 1981.

-64%Since 1981TrendPercent change in the route-weighted abundance index between a smoothed baseline window and the most recent one. It tracks direction, not absolute population.Full methodology →
9Routes In StateSurvey routesHow many standard-protocol BBS routes contributed counts. More routes means a steadier, better-sampled index; very thin coverage is suppressed.Full methodology →
13YearsYears surveyedNumber of years with at least one standard-protocol run in this geography. A longer record makes the trend more reliable.Full methodology →

Notable Yellow-crowned Night Heron Trends in VirginiaNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →

long arc declinecomputed indexTrend sourceWhether the figure is our own computed route-weighted index or an official USGS modeled estimate. The current build labels every trend as computed.Full methodology →

Yellow-crowned Night Heron has fallen sharply in Virginia: down 64% on the route-weighted index since 1981.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron Survey Routes in Virginia

Routes recording Yellow-crowned Night Heron in Virginia.
Recent countThe raw number of individuals recorded on this route in its most recent survey year. A single-route tally, not a trend.Full methodology →
Cornland220071981
Cape Charles219951995
Dismal Swamp219991992
Church Road219711971
Quinby119921987
Newsoms120002000
Backbay119691969
Walkers120192019
Chincoteag W120051993

Yellow-crowned Night Heron Population Trend in Other States

alabamaarkansasconnecticutdelawarefloridageorgiaillinoisindianakansaskentuckylouisianamarylandmississippimissourinew-jerseynew-yorknorth-carolinaohiooklahomapennsylvaniasouth-carolinatennesseetexaswest-virginia

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.