Ciconiiformes

Ciconiiformes (Herons, Storks, Flamingos, and kin)

Ardeidae

ardea (L): a heron
olus (L): refers to a ‘small heron’

Ardea cinerea (Grey Heron)
- cinereus (L): ash-colored
Ardea goliath (Goliath Heron)
- a large heron measuring as much as 1.5 meters (5 feet); received its name from the Goliath reference in the Old Testament of the Bible
Ardea herodias (Great Blue Heron)
- erodios (Gr): a heron
- named for its large size and its pale blue wings and upperparts
Ardeola idae (Madagascar Squacco Heron)
- named after Frau Ida R. Pfeiffer (!797-1858), a German traveller and authoress who was in Madagascar from 1856 to 1858
- squacco is from the Italian dialect sguacco
Ardeola ralloides (Squacco Heron)
- rale (Fr): a rail or a water rail (Rallus aquaticus), referring to its similarity to the water rail
- -oides (New L): from eidos (Gr) meaning ‘likeness of form’ but can mean ‘a type of’
Botaurus lentiginosus (American Bittern)
- boo (L): I cry aloud or I roar
- taurus (L): a bull, referring to the booming call for which bitterns are famous. Large bitterns (like this one which measures about 66 cm [26 inches]) make the booming call but small bitterns only make a deep croak
- lentigo = lentiginis (L): a lentil-shaped spot or freckle
- -osus (L): suffix meaning ‘full of’ or ‘very spotted’, referring to the bird’s spotted brown plumage
Botaurus stellaris (Eurasian Bittern)
- stellaris (L): starry, referring to the plumage which is more streaked than starred although it does have brown spots
Bubulcus ibis (Cattle Egret)
- bubulcus (L): one that ploughs with oxen or a herdsman, referring to the bird’s habit of following buffalo or herds of domesticated cattle searching for the insects that are disturbed by their hooves or perching on their backs to find the insects that plague the cattle with each being of mutual benefit to the other
- ibis (Gr): an Egyptian bird that feeds on aquatic animals and to which divine honours were paid
Butorides virescens (Little Green Heron)
- butio (L): a bittern
- -ides (L): suffix denoting a relationship in reference to the herons being related to the bitterns
- viridis (L): green
- -escens (L): suffix meaning ‘beginning to’ or ‘somewhat’; ‘greenish’
Cochlearius cochlearius (Boat-billed Heron)
- coclearum (L): a spoon
- the bill is more like an upturned boat than a spoon
- should not be confused with the spoonbills in the family Threskiornithidae
Egretta alba (Great White Heron or Great Egret)
- aigrette (Fr): tuft of feathers or plume referring to the plume of feathers worn by the male bird during the breeding season
- albus (L): white
- a large bird, measuring up to 89 (cm (35 inches) but only 46 cm (18 inches) is the body
Egretta caerulea (Little Blue Heron)
- caeruleus (L): dark blue
Egretta eulophotes (Chinese Egret)
- eu (Gr): prefix meaning ‘nicely or well’ but often used to mean ‘typical’
- lophos (Gr): a crest
- -otes (Gr): suffix meaning ‘possession of’ referring to past practises of slaughtering many thousands of egrets of all species for their decorative crests used on women’s hats
Egretta garzetta (Little Egret)
- garza (It): an egret
- etto (It): suffix meaning ‘little’
Ixobrychus exilis (Least Bittern)
- name Ixobrychus was given by G.J. Billberg in 1828, but he never gave the reason why
- ixos (Gr): mistletoe
- brukho (Gr): I roar or I howl but likely means ‘a reed’ and therefore means ‘a reed-howler’, referring to the booming call for which bitterns are famous. At one time, it was thought that the booming sound was made by the bittern blowing into the hollow stem of a reed as is made with a bassoon. However, since then more plausible explanations have been made including the most likely one being that the male’s throat is specially modified to produce this sound, which is quite remarkable and can be compared to a distant foghorn. It can be heard for nearly 5 km (3 miles)
- exilis (L): thin or slender and refers to its small size of only 31 cm (12 inches)
- Ixobrychus minutus (Little Bittern)
- minutus (L): small or minute, referring to its size of about 35 cm (14 inches) long
Nycticorax leuconotus (White-backed Night Heron)
- seen only during twilight hours
- nux = nuktos (Gr): night
- korax (Gr): a raven or crow, referring to its harsh crow-like call
- leukos (Gr): white
- notos (Gr): the back
Nycticorax nycticorax (Black-crowned Night Heron)
- named for its glossy black head and neck
Tigrisoma lineatum (Banded Tiger Heron)
- tigris(L and Gr): tiger
- soma(Gr): the body
- linea (L): string or line
- -atus (L): suffix meaning ‘provided with’, referring to the body which has dark bands or strips on a brownish background, giving good protective coloring among the reeds of Central and South America

Balaenicipitidae – 1 species

balaena (L): a whale
caput = capitis (L): the head, referring to the head and huge beak which resemble the head of a whale

Balaeniceps rex (Whale-headed Stork or Shoebill)
- Anatomically, it is difficult to place this bird in a category except in a family of its own
- The bill is more like a shoe than that of a whale but it is unusually large.
- ceps (New L) from caput (L): the head
- rex (L): a king

Casuariidae – 3 species

ciconia (L): a stork
forma (L): form or shape but can mean a sort or kind

Ciconiidae – 17 species

ciconia (L): a stork

Mycteria ibis (Yellow-billed Stork)
- ibis (Gr): a misleading name since it is not an ibis from the family Threskiornithidae but the name was translated to mean ‘a stork’. It was really an Egyptian bird that fed on worms and aquatic animals and to which divine honours were paid
- a white bird with a red face and yellow bill
Mycteria leucocephala (Painted Stork)
- leukos (Gr): white, referring to its mainly white body but can have various colorings such as red legs, orange bill, and yellow and red skin on the bare face
- kephale (Gr): the head
Anastomus oscitans (Asian Open-billed Stork)
- anastomosis (Gr): an opening
- oscitans (L): listless or sluggish, referring to the peculiar bill which never closes except at the tip. It has been suggested that this assists the stork when picking up snails and mussels
Ciconia abdimii (formerly Sphenorhynchus) (Abdim’s Stork)
- named after Bey Al-Arnaut Abdim (1780-1827), the Governor of the Wadi Halfa area in northern Sudan
Ciconia ciconia (White Stork)
- well-known stork for building its nests on house roofs and for supposedly bringing good luck
- strictly protected throughout Europe and Africa
Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis (Saddle-bill Stork)
- ephippios (Gr): for putting on a horse, a saddle
- rhunkhos (Gr): the beak, referring to the black band around the middle of the large orange-red bill
- -ensis (L): suffix meaning ‘belonging to’
- ciconia (L): a stork
Leptoptilos crumeniferus (Marabou)
- leptos (Gr): slender
- ptilon (Gr) : a wing
- crumena (L) : a small money bag or purse that usually hangs from the neck
- fero (L): I bear, referring to the naked pink throat-pouch hanging from the neck and measuring about 46 cm (18 inches) long. It is an ugly appendage but has some connection to the breathing
- marabout (Fr): a priest but can mean an ugly or mis-shapen man, referring to this ugly stork which can be described as grotesque on the ground but graceful in the air

Threskiornithidae – 31 species

threskos (Gr): religious
ornis = ornithos (Gr): a bird

Eudocimus albus (White Ibis)
- eudokimos (Gr): to be of good repute or famous
- albus (L): white
Eudocimus ruber (Scarlet Ibis)
- ruber (L): red, referring to the remarkably bright red plumage
Geronticus calvus (Bald Ibis)
- geron = gerontos (Gr): an old man
- -icus (L): suffix meaning ‘belonging to’ or ‘pertaining to’
- calvus (L): bald
Geronticus eremita (Hermit Ibis)
- sometimes known as the Waldrapp
- eremites (Gr): a hermit
Nipponia nippon (Japanese Ibis)
- Nippon is the Japanese name for Japan.
- now very rare
Platalea ajaja (formerly Ajaia) (Roseate Spoonbill)
- platalea (L): a water bird or the spoonbill
- the South American native name for the spoonbill; unlike other spoonbills, which are almost pure white, this bird is tinged with pink and darkening to red in some parts
Platalea alba (African Spoonbill)
- albus (L): white
Platalea flavipes (Yellow-billed Spoonbill)
- flavus (L): yellow
- pes (L): the foot, referring to its yellow legs and feet as well as the yellow bill
Platalea leucorodia (White Spoonbill)
- leukos (Gr): white
- redeos (Gr): of roses
- Leucorodia could mean rose-pink but the name is misleading as the plumage is white, although an orange patch on the throat can be seen during summer months
Platalea minor (Lesser Spoonbill)
- minor (L): smaller
Platalea regia (Royal Spoonbill)
- regius (L): royal
Plegadis falcinellus (Glossy Ibis)
- plegas = plegados (Gr): a sickle
- falx = falcis (L): a sickle or shaped like a sickle, in reference to the curved beak
Threskiornis aethiopica (Sacred Ibis)
- most famous of the species; worshipped by the Egyptians for supposedly preserving the country from plagues and serpents. Zealously preserved in temples and numerous mummified remains of ibises wrapped in linen in the ordinary way have been found at Memphis near Cairo and Thebes in Upper Egypt
- -icus (L): suffix meaning ‘belonging to’, that is, ‘of Ethiopia’; although no longer found in Egypt, it now inhabits Ethiopia, from where it takes its name
Threskiornis melanocephalus (Indian White Ibis)
- melas = melanos (Gr): black or dusky
- kephale (Gr): the head, referring to the bluish-black naked areas on the head, although the body feathers are white
Threskiornis molucca (Australian White Ibis)
- named for the group of islands known as the Moluccas, which are about 960 km (600 miles) north of Australia in the Banda Sea

Phoenicopteridae – 4 species

speculation that the name ‘flamingo’ is derived from flamenco (Sp), an Andalusian folk-song or from flamma (L), a flame or fire
phoinix = phoinikos (Gr): deep purple or crimson; the word derives from the fact that this color discovery was ascribed to the Phoenicians
pteron (Gr): feathers or wing, in reference to the Greek word for a red-feathered flamingo (phoinikopteros)

Phoenicoparrus andinus (Andean Flamingo)
- the largest species
- parra (L): a bird of ill omen and variously translated as ‘perhaps the owl’ or ‘perhaps the wheatear’ but any connection has been obscured
Phoenicoparrus jamesi (James' Flamingo)
- named after H.B. James (1846-1892), a naturalist and businessman living in Chile
- a very rare species, inhabits only the high Andean lakes, possibly up to 3,500 meters (11,000 feet)
Phoeniconaias minor (Lesser Flamingo)
- phoinix = phoinikos (Gr): deep purple or crimson
- naias (L): a water nymph
- minor (L): smaller
Phoenicopterus ruber (Greater Flamingo)
- using the English name only can cause confusion, especially with this bird. In various ornithology books, this bird is referred to as the Greater, the Common, the American, and the European Flamingo, therefore, the species Latin name is required to be sure.
- ruber (L): red or ruddy

Scopidae – 1 species

scopae (L): a besom which is a broom made of twigs, referring to the tufts of feathers which project from the back of the head. Together with the large beak in front, it gives the appearance of a hammer

Scopus umbretta (Hammerhead Stork or Anvilhead)
- Anatomically, it is neither a stork nor a heron, although it bears a close resemblance to both and thus it is placed in a category of its own
- umbra (L): shade
- -etta (New L): from –etto (It) suffix meaning ‘small shade’, referring to the crest and beak together which gives the appearance of a sunshade or umbrella