Nyctanassa
Nyctanassa is a genus of night herons from the Americas, especially warmer coastal regions. They were formerly included in the genus Nycticorax, but today all major authorities recognize them as distinct.
Taxonomy
The genus Nyctanassa was introduced in 1887 by the Norwegian born zoologist Leonhard Stejneger to accommodate a single species, the yellow-crowned night heron, which is therefore the type species. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek nux meaning "night" with anassa meaning "queen" or "lady".Species
The genus contains the following two species, of which only one is still extant:| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
| Nyctanassa violacea | Yellow-crowned night heron | United States, Mexico, Central America, Galápagos, the Caribbean and northern South America | |
| Nyctanassa carcinocatactes | Bermuda night heron | Bermuda; extinct |