我们这儿的湖里水禽不少，但第一次在湖边看见这种鸟，远看以为是苍鹭呢。

Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is one of the few birds that can be seen around the globe, including in China. It's around 64cm long and weigh around 800g so it is a big bird.

In America, there is another 夜鹭 - Yellow-crowned Night Heron (also called American Night Heron). Both night herons are common birds especially around coastal area.

（ 谢谢网友山雀提供以上信息。）