As the name implies, black-crowned night herons are very active at night and dusk because they compete with other herons. Even so, they have been seen hunting for food during the day as well. In addition to the hunting technique used by most herons in which they stand perfectly still in the water waiting to spear their prey, the night heron also hunts for prey as it swims. But the selection of food is highly varied, and they have several different hunting methods depending on the prey. In some places, large flocks of 400–600 birds are seen hunting for food together.