   #copyright

Heron

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                           iHerons
   Snowy Egret, Egretta thula. Note the chicks in the nest.
   Snowy Egret, Egretta thula. Note the chicks in the nest.
                  Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Ciconiiformes
   Family:  Ardeidae
            Leach, 1820

                                   Genera

   See text.

   The herons are wading birds in the Ardeidae family. Some are called
   egrets or bitterns instead of herons.

   Within the family, all members of the genera Botaurus and Ixobrychus
   are referred to as bitterns, and—including the Zigzag Heron or Zigzag
   Bittern—are a monophyletic group within the Ardeidae. However, egrets
   are not a biologically distinct group from the herons, and tend to be
   named differently because they are mainly white or have decorative
   plumes.

   The classification of the individual heron/egret species is fraught
   with difficulty, and there is still no clear consensus about the
   correct placement of many species into either of the two major genera,
   Ardea and Egretta. Similarly, the relationship of the genera in the
   family is not completely resolved. For example, the Boat-billed Heron
   is sometimes classed as a heron, and sometimes given its own family
   Cochlearidae, but nowadays it is usually retained in the Ardeidae.

   Although herons resemble birds in some other families, such as the
   storks, ibises and spoonbills, they differ from these in flying with
   their necks retracted, not outstretched.

   The members of this family are all primarily associated with wetlands,
   and prey on fish, frogs and other aquatic species. Some, like the
   Cattle Egret, also take large insects, and are less tied to watery
   environments. Some members of this group nest colonially in trees,
   others, notably the bitterns, use reedbeds.

   In February 2005, the Canadian scientist Dr. Louis Lefebvre announced a
   method of measuring avian IQ in terms of their innovation in feeding
   habits. Herons were named among the most intelligent birds based on
   this scale, reflecting a wide variety, flexibility and adaptiveness to
   acquire food.

Taxonomy

   Analyses of the skeleton, mainly the skull, suggested that the Ardeidae
   could be split into a diurnal and a crepuscular/ nocturnal group which
   included the bitterns. From DNA studies and skeletal analyses focusing
   more on bones of body and limbs, this grouping has been revealed as
   incorrect (McCracken & Sheldon, 1998). Rather, the similarities in
   skull morphology reflect convergent evolution to cope with the
   different challenges of daytime and nighttime feeding. Today, it is
   believed that three major groups can be distinguished (Sheldon et al.,
   2000), which are (from the most primitive to the most advanced):
     * tiger herons and the boatbill
     * bitterns
     * day-herons and egrets, and night-herons

   FAMILY ARDEIDAE

   Subfamily Tigrisomatinae
     * Genus Cochlearius
          + Boat-billed Heron, Cochlearius cochlearius
     * Genus Tigrisoma
          + Bare-throated Tiger Heron, Tigrisoma mexicanum
          + Fasciated Tiger Heron, Tigrisoma fasciatum
          + Rufescent Tiger Heron, Tigrisoma lineatum
     * Genus Tigriornis
          + White-crested Tiger Heron, Tigriornis leucolophus
     * Genus Zonerodius
          + New Guinea Tiger Heron, Zonerodius heliosylus

   Subfamily Botaurinae
     * Genus Zebrilus
          + Zigzag Heron, Zebrilus undulatus
     * Genus Ixobrychus
          + Little Bittern, Ixobrychus minutus
          + New Zealand Little Bittern, Ixobrychus novaezelandiae (
            extinct)
          + Cinnamon Bittern, Ixobrychus cinnamomeus
          + Stripe-backed Bittern, Ixobrychus involucris
          + Least Bittern, Ixobrychus exilis
          + Yellow Bittern, Ixobrychus sinensis
          + Schrenck's Bittern, Ixobrychus eurhythmus
          + Dwarf Bittern, Ixobrychus sturmii
          + Black Bittern, Ixobrychus flavicollis
     * Genus Botaurus
          + American Bittern, Botaurus lentiginosa.
          + Great Bittern or European Bittern, Botaurus stellaris
          + South American Bittern, Botaurus pinnatus
          + Australasian Bittern, Botaurus poiciloptilus

   Subfamily Ardeinae
     * Genus Zeltornis (fossil)
     * Genus Nycticorax
          + Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax violaceus or Nyctanassa
            violacea
          + Bermuda Night Neron, Nycticorax carcinocatactes or Nyctanassa
            carcinocatactes ( extinct)
          + Black-crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax
          + White-backed Night Heron, Nycticorax leuconotus or Gorsachius
            leuconotus
          + Rodrigues Night Heron, Nycticorax megacephalus ( extinct)
          + Réunion Night Heron, Nycticorax duboisi ( extinct)
          + Mauritius Night Heron, Nycticorax mauritianus ( extinct)
          + Ascension Night Heron, Nycticorax olsoni ( extinct)
     * Genus Gorsachius
          + Nankeen Night Heron or Rufous Night Heron, Gorsachius
            caledonicus or Nycticorax caledonicus
          + White-eared Night Heron, Gorsachius magnificus
          + Japanese Night Heron, Gorsachius goisagi
          + Malayan Night Heron, Gorsachius melanolophus
     * Genus Butorides
          + Green Heron or Green-backed Heron, Butorides virescens
          + Striated Heron, Butorides striatus or Ardea striatus
     * Genus Agamia
          + Agami Heron, Agamia agami
     * Genus Philherodias
          + Capped Heron, Pilherodius pileatus
     * Genus Ardeola
          + Indian Pond Heron, Ardeola grayii
          + Squacco Heron, Ardeola ralloides
          + Chinese Pond Heron, Ardeola bacchus
          + Javan Pond Heron, Ardeola speciosa
          + Madagascar Pond Heron, Ardeola idae
          + Rufous-bellied Heron, Ardeola rufiventris
     * Genus Bubulcus
          + Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis or Ardea ibis
     * Genus Proardea (fossil)
     * Genus Ardea
          + Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
            Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
            Enlarge
            Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
          + Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea
          + Goliath Heron, Ardea goliath
          + Cocoi Heron, Ardea cocoi
          + White-necked Heron or Pacific Heron, Ardea pacifica
          + Black-headed Heron, Ardea melanocephala
          + Madagascar Heron, Ardea humbloti
          + White-bellied Heron, Ardea insignis
          + Great-billed Heron, Ardea sumatrana
          + Purple Heron, Ardea purpurea
          + Great Egret or Great White Egret, Ardea alba
          + Pied Heron, Ardea picata or Egretta picata
          + Intermediate Egret, Ardea intermedia or Egretta intermedia
          + Swinhoe's Egret or Chinese Egret, Ardea eulophotes or Egretta
            eulophotes
     * Genus Syrigma
          + Whistling Heron, Syrigma sibilatrix
     * Genus Egretta
          + Little Egret, Egretta garzetta or Ardea garzetta
          + Snowy Egret, Egretta thula
          + Reddish Egret, Egretta rufescens
          + Slaty Egret, Egretta vinaceigula
          + Black Heron, Egretta ardesiaca
          + Tricolored Heron or Louisiana Heron, Egretta tricolor
            Tricolored Heron or Louisiana Heron, Egretta tricolor
            Enlarge
            Tricolored Heron or Louisiana Heron, Egretta tricolor
          + White-faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae or Ardea
            novaehollandiae
          + Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea
          + Eastern Reef Egret, Egretta sacra or Ardea sacra
          + Western Reef Heron, Egretta gularis
     * Genus undetermined
          + Easter Island Heron, Ardeidae gen. et sp. indet. (
            prehistoric)

   Other prehistoric and fossil species are included in the respective
   genus accounts.

   The night herons could warrant separation as subfamily Nycticoracinae,
   as it was traditionally done. However, the position of some genera
   (e.g. Butorides or Syrigma) is unclear at the moment, and molecular
   studies have until now suffered from a small number of studied taxa.
   Especially the relationship among the ardeidine subfamily is very badly
   resolved. The arrangement presented here should be provisional.

Trivia

   The Norwegian municipality of Tysvær has a heron in its coat-of-arms.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heron"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
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