Superfamily Ciconioidea
          Family Ciconiidae
            Subfamily Ciconiinae: Storks, Openbills, Adjutants, Jabiru
            Subfamily Cathartinae: New World Vultures or Condors

Family ARDEIDAE:
Sheldon (1987. Auk 104:606-612) used DNA hybridization for comparisons among most of the species of herons.  The following arrangement reflects his conclusions.
Subfamily TIGRIORNITHINAE:
Tribe TIGRIORNITHINI:
Tigrisoma mexicanum   BARE-THROATED TIGER-HERON.  Marshes, swamps, mangroves, forest streams, lagoons.  Lowlands from s Sonora, s San Luis Potosí and s Tamaulipas s, incl. Cozumel and Cancun is., to Panama, Pearl and Coiba islands and small islets; and nw Colombia in the Gulf of Urabá region and lower Atrato Valley.
Tigrisoma fasciatum   FASCIATED TIGER-HERON.  Humid forest streams.  Lowlands to 1800 m from Costa Rica on the Caribbean slope, Panama, Colombia on both sides of the Andes and n Venezuela, s through Andes of e Ecuador, e Peru, c,e Bolivia and nw Argentina; se Brazil in cw Mato Grosso and locally from c Goiás and Rio de Janeiro s to Rio Grande do Sul and ne Argentina in Misiones.
Tigrisoma lineatum   RUFESCENT TIGER-HERON.  Marshes in savannas, forest streams, swamps, mangroves.

T. l. lineatum  Lowlands to 500 m on Caribbean slope in e Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, and from Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Guianas s, w of Andes to sw Ecuador and e of Andes through e Ecuador, e Peru, ne Bolivia and Amazonian Brazil s to c Mato Grosso.
 T. l. marmoratum. E,s Brazil, n Uruguay, Paraguay, n,e,se Bolivia and n Argentina s to Santiago del Estero, Santa Fe and Entre Ríos.

Tribe COCHLEARINI:
Cochlearius cochlearia   BOAT-BILLED HERON.  Ponds and streams in humid forest, marshes, mangroves.  From Sinaloa and Tamaulipas s along both slopes, incl. islands off Yucatán, to El Salvador and Caribbean Honduras; lowlands to 2600 m from Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Guianas s, w of Andes to w Ecuador and e of Andes through e Ecuador, e Peru, n,e Bolivia and Amazonian and e,se Brazil to e Paraguay and n Argentina from Formosa e to Misiones and s to Entre Ríos.

Subfamily ARDEINAE:
Tribe BOTAURINI
Zonerodius heliosylus   FOREST BITTERN.  Swamps and streams in forest.  Lowlands to 1450 m in the Aru Is., Salawati in the w Papuan Is., and New Guinea.
Tigriornis leucolophus   WHITE-CRESTED BITTERN.  Humid forest.  From Senegambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, s Cameroon, s C. African Rep. and n,ne Zaire; from Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Congo s to Cabinda and sw,c,ce Zaire.  Probably a tiger-heron.
Zebrilus undulatus   ZIGZAG HERON.  Swamps, forest streams and ponds.  Lowlands to 500 m in e Colombia, e,s Venezuela, Guianas, Amazonian Brazil w to Rio Madeira and s to Rondônia and w Mato Grosso, e Ecuador, e Peru, n Bolivia and Paraguay.  Relationships unclear; resembles the bitterns.

Ixobrychus involucris   STRIPE-BACKED BITTERN.  Dense rushes, marshes.  Locally in lowlands to 500 m in n,e Colombia, n Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana and Surinam; se Bolivia, Paraguay, e Brazil, Uruguay, c Chile and n,c Argentina s to Río Negro.
Ixobrychus minutus   LITTLE BITTERN.  Reedbeds, swamps.  From sc British Isles, Europe n to n Germany and Estonia, e across c Russia to se Russia n to upper Ob River and upper Irtysh River, s to Kazakhstan and Turkestan and w China in Sinkiang, and s to nw Africa from n Morocco to n Tunisia, n Mediterranean region incl. Balearic Is., Corsica, Sicily, nw,ne Egypt, Near and Middle East, Arabia, Pakistan in Sind and n India from Kashmir to n Assam and w China in w Sinkiang.  Locally in Mauritania, Senegambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Príncipe, Chad, Centr. Afr. Rep., cw Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and from Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Kenya s through Tanzania, se Zaire, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana s to e,s S. Africa in Transvaal, Orange Free State, Natal and s Cape Province, w to Angola and Namibia; Madagascar.

Ixobrychus sinensis   YELLOW BITTERN.  Swamps, marshes, reedbeds, wet fields, bamboo thickets.  Lowlands to 1200 m from n Pakistan in the Indus Valley, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, c,e China, Hainan I., se Siberia to s Sakhalin, s Kuril Is., Japan, Palau, and the Bonin, Mariana and Caroline islands, s through se Asia, E. Indies and Philippines to Andaman, Nicobar and Maldive islands, New Guinea (vagrant?), Ninigo Is. and New Britain, Bougainville I. and the Seychelles Is.
Ixobrychus novaezelandiae   BLACK-BACKED BITTERN.  Reedbeds, swamps.  Sw W. Australia n to Murchison River; from n N. Territory in Arnhem Land, e to n,e Queensland, s to Victoria and se S. Australia.  Often considered conspecific with minutus.
Ixobrychus exilis   LEAST BITTERN.  Tall vegetation in marshes, mangroves, wet savanna.  Locally from s Oregon, interior and s coastal Calif., c Baja Calif. and s coastal Sonora s to Guerrero; from c Montana, s Manitoba, ne N. Dakota, nw Minnesota, c Wisconsin, n Michigan, s Ontario, s Quebec, Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia s to Utah (formerly), sc New Mexico, w,s Texas, Gulf coast, Florida, Greater and Lesser Antilles on Guadeloupe and Marie Galante; from Guatemala and Belize to c Panama; locally in lowlands and mts. to 3100 m in Colombia, n Venezuela, Trinidad, Guianas, e Ecuador,e,se Brazil, n Bolivia, Paraguay, ne Argentina and coastal Peru from La Libertad to Lima.

Ixobrychus eurhythmus   SCHRENCK'S BITTERN.  Swamps, marshes, reedbeds, flooded fields.  E China, Hainan I., se Siberia to Sakhalin, Korea, Japan, and Ryukyu and Bonin islands.
Ixobrychus cinnamomeus   CINNAMON BITTERN.  Swamps, marshes, reedbeds, flooded fields.  Lowlands to 1800 m from n Pakistan in the Indus Valley, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and s,e China, Hainan I., and s through se Asia to Maldive, Andaman and Nicobar islands, Greater and Lesser Sunda islands on Bali and Lombok, Philippines, Taiwan and Ryukyu Is.
Ixobrychus sturmii   DWARF BITTERN.  Streams in open woods, flooded areas, reedbeds, marshes.  Locally in Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, Chad, Sudan, sw Ethiopia, s Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, n Tanzania, se Zaire, Malawi, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, s Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and ne S. Africa in Transvaal and w Natal.  Ranges widely s of the Sahara as an intra-African migrant.

Dupetor flavicollis   BLACK BITTERN.  Swamps, reedbeds, wet forest, flooded bushy areas, marshes.  Lowlands to 1200 m from Pakistan in Sind, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, ec,se China, Hainan I., and Taiwan, s through Maldive Is., se Asia, Greater Sunda Is. incl. Nias and Belitung off Sumatra, Timor I., Philippines on Batan Is., Luzon, Mindoro, Marinduque, Samar, Negros, Cebu, Siargao and Mindanao; Moluccas, Kai and Aru islands, New Guinea to 2100 m and adj. islands, Bismarck Arch. and Solomon Is. incl. Rennell I. to coastal w,n,e Australia from W. Australia s to Perth, e to Queensland and s to se New S. Wales.  May be a large species of Ixobrychus.
Botaurus lentiginosus   AMERICAN BITTERN.  Marshes, reedbeds.  From se Alaska, c British Columbia, s Mackenzie, n Manitoba, n Ontario, c Quebec and Newfoundland s to s Calif., c Arizona (formerly), s New Mexico, n Texas, c Kansas, c Missouri, c,w Tennessee, w Kentucky, c Ohio, s Pennsylvania, ne West Virginia, e Maryland and e Virginia; Louisiana (formerly) and Florida; Mexico s to Puebla and México.

Botaurus pinnatus   PINNATED BITTERN.  Marshes, reedbeds, wet grassland.  Lowlands to 2600 m in se Mexico in Veracruz, Tabasco, Yucatán Pen., Belize, El Salvador and Costa Rica; Colombia, w Ecuador, Venezuela, Guianas, Trinidad, c,e Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and n Argentina s to Córdoba and n Buenos Aires.
Botaurus stellaris   GREAT BITTERN.  Reedbeds, marshes, lagoons, sluggish streams.

B. s. stellaris  From s British Isles and s Scandinavia e across nw,c Russia and c Siberia to Yakutia, Amurland, Ussuriland, Sakhalin and Japan on Hokkaido; from n Morocco e to Tunisia, Turkey, s Russia, n Iran, Afghanistan, w China, Mongolia and Manchuria s to Hopeh.
 B. s. capensis  C Angola, n Zambia, s Tanzania, Malawi, c Mozambique, nw Botswana, ne Namibia and e,s S. Africa.  Vagrant in other African countries.

Botaurus poiciloptilus   AUSTRALASIAN BITTERN.  Reedbeds, swamps, lagoons, sluggish rivers.  Sw W. Australia from Perth to Esperance; e,se Australia from se Queensland on Fraser I., s to Victoria, Tasmania, and w to s S. Australia and Kangaroo Island.  New Zealand; New Caledonia; Ouvéa I. in the Loyalty Is.

Tribe AGAMINI
Agamia agami   AGAMI HERON.  Forest streams, ponds, mangroves.

The Agami Heron is probably more closely related to the bitterns than to the typical herons, but it is in a group by itself.
 Lowlands to 1000 m from Nuevo León, Veracruz, Tabasco, Chiapas and Quintana Roo s through e Guatemala in Petén, Belize, n Honduras and Costa Rica to Panama, and from Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Guianas s, w of Andes to nw Ecuador and e of Andes through e Ecuador and e Peru to n Bolivia and w Amazonian Brazil in Amazonas and n Mato Grosso.

Tribe ARDEINI:

Nyctanassa violacea   YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON.  Marshes, swampy forest, lakes, lagoons, mangroves.  Lowlands from c Baja Calif., c Sonora, c,ne Texas, e Colorado, c Oklahoma, ne Kansas, se Nebraska, s Iowa, se Minnesota, s Wisconsin, s Michigan, s Ontario, lower Ohio Valley, e Tennessee, e W. Virginia, se Pennsylvania and Massachusetts s through se U.S., W. Indies, Mexico on both slopes and Socorro I., and I. María Madre, and C. America to coastal S. America from Colombia and Venezuela incl. Margarita I., s to nw Peru and e Brazil s to Rio Grande do Sul; Galapagos Islands.
Nycticorax nycticorax   BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON.  Marshes, swamps, ponds, lakes, mangroves.  From s Europe n to Netherlands, Germany and Poland, e across s Russia, n to Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Turkestan and Lake Balkhash to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, c,e China, Hainan I., Japan n to Honshu, s to nw Africa from Morocco to Tunisia, Mediterranean region, Nile Valley of ne Egypt, Near and Middle East, Andaman and Nicobar is., se Asia, Java, Bali, Flores, Borneo, Sulawesi, possibly Luzon.   S Mauritania, Mali, Senegambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, n Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, C. Afr. Rep., se Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia; s in Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Congo to nw Angola; Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and S. Africa; Madagascar; Aldabra and Comores.

Hawaiian Is. from Niihau e to Hawaii; from c Washington, s Idaho, c Wyoming, ec Alberta, c Saskatchewan, s Manitoba, nw,c Minnesota, c Wisconsin, s Michigan, s Ontario, s Quebec, ne New Brunswick and Nova Scotia s through U.S., Middle America, Bahamas, Greater Antilles and S. America to Tierra del Fuego; Falkland Islands.

Nycticorax caledonicus   RUFOUS NIGHT-HERON.  Swamps, rivers, marshes, lakes, mangroves.  Lowlands from e Java, n Borneo, Sulawesi, Philippines, (formerly Bonin Is.), Palau and Truk I., s through Moluccas, New Guinea and most adj. islands, Bismarck Arch., Solomon Is. to Australia, King I. and Tasmania; New Caledonia.  Ranges to Lord Howe I., Mariana Is. and New Zealand.  Ocasionally hybridizes with N. nycticorax in Java, Sulawesi and the Philippines.
Gorsachius leuconotus   WHITE-BACKED NIGHT-HERON.  Swamps, marshes, flooded areas.  Locally in w,e,s Africa in Mali, Senegambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, s Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia to se Angola, ne Namibia, n,e Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and e S. Africa in Transvaal, Natal and e Cape Province.

Gorsachius magnificus   WHITE-EARED NIGHT-HERON.  Dense forest.  Local in highlands of Hainan I. off se China.  Ranges to mainland of se China.
Gorsachius goisagi   JAPANESE NIGHT-HERON.  Swamps and streams in dense forest.  Lowlands of s Japan on s Honshu and Izu Islands, probably elsewhere.
Gorsachius melanolophus   MALAYAN NIGHT-HERON.  Streams and marshy areas in humid forest.  Lowlands to 1800 m from s,e India, se China, Hainan I., Taiwan and s Ryukyu Is., s through se Asia to Nicobar Is., Java and the Philippines.  Possibly Talaud Is.
Syrigma sibilatrix   WHISTLING HERON.  Marshy lagoons, ponds, rivers, savanna.  Lowlands to 500 m e of the Andes in ne Colombia and n Venezuela; n,e, se Bolivia, Paraguay, s Brazil and N Argentina.  Sheldon (1987) showed that Syrigma is closest to Egretta.

Egretta rufescens   REDDISH EGRET.  Mangroves, marshes, beaches.  Coastal lowlands in c,s Baja Calif., coastal Sonora, Sinaloa and Oaxaca; Gulf coast of Texas, Louisiana and Alabama; coastal c,s Florida, nw Bahama Is. on Grand Bahama, Abaco, Andros and Great Inagua; Cuba and Isle of Pines; Hispaniola, formerly Jamaica; coasts and is. of Yucatán Pen.
Egretta vinaceigula   SLATY EGRET.  Swamps, flooded areas, reedbeds.  Ne Namibia, w Zambia, n Botswana, Malawi, Zimbabwe, nw Mozambique and formerly in ne S. Africa in sw Transvaal; and probably in extreme se Angola.  Breeding definitely known only in Botswana.
Egretta ardesiaca   BLACK HERON.  Marshes, lakes, flooded areas, mangroves.  Breeding confirmed in Senegambia, Guinea-Bissau, s Mali, s Ghana, Nigeria, Chad, w,s Kenya, w Zambia, Angola, n Botswana, Zimbabwe and e S. Africa in Transvaal, e Orange Free State, Natal, se Cape Prov.; Madagascar.  Also recorded in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Togo, Niger, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Cameroon, Zaire, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia.

Egretta tricolor   TRICOLORED HERON.  Marshes, ponds, rivers, mangroves.  Lowlands to 1000 m from c Baja Calif., s Sonora, nc,ne Texas, Gulf coast and Atlantic coast n to s Maine, s along both coasts to Panama and coastal areas from Colombia, Venezuela, Netherlands Antilles e to Trinidad and Tobago, and Guianas s to s Peru and ne Brazil; casually in interior from N. Dakota s to se New Mexico and c Kansas; Bahamas, Greater Antilles e to Virgin Is., islands of Providencia and San Andrés in the w Caribbean Sea.
Egretta novaehollandiae   WHITE-FACED HERON.  Coasts, marshes, lakes, flooded fields.  Lowlands to 1500 m on the Lesser Sunda Is. of Flores and Roti; New Caledonia, Lifu in Loyalty Is., Australia, Tasmania, s New Guinea, Norfolk and Lord Howe is., New Zealand (since 1940) and Chatham Is.  Ranges widely.

Egretta caerulea   LITTLE BLUE HERON.  Marshes, ponds, lakes, meadows, streams, mangroves.  Lowlands to 2600 m from s Calif. (rarely), Baja Calif., Sonora, se New Mexico, e Colorado, ne Texas, c Oklahoma, c Kansas, s N. Dakota, n Illinois, nw Ohio and New England s through s,c,e U.S., Middle America on both slopes, and W. Indies to Panama, and from Colombia, Venezuela, Netherlands Antilles e to Trinidad and Tobago and Guianas s, w of the Andes to c Peru and e of the Andes to Brazil and Uruguay.
Egretta garzetta   LITTLE EGRET.  Lakes, marshes, flooded fields, estuaries.  From Mediterranean region n to c France, Italy and Czechoslovakia; n Morocco and Tunisia; Nile Valley, e through Turkey, Near East, n Iraq, n Iran, Ukraine, lower Volga and Ural rivers, e Transcaucasus, Pakistan, India up to 1400 m; Sri Lanka, and s China to Taiwan and Japan n to c Honshu; s through Andaman and Nicobar islands and se Asia, E. Indies (migrant?), Philippines, Palau and New Guinea, Louisiade Arch., wo w,n,e Australia from ne W. Australia e to Queensland and s to Victoria and islands in Bass Strait, Tasmania.  Breeding confirmed in Cape Verde Is., Senegambia, Mauritania, s Mali, s Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Lake Chad area, Sudan, Gabon, Angola, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and S. Africa.  Also recorded in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Gulf of Guinea Is., Burkina Faso, Niger, C. Afr. Rep., Zaire, Congo, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique; Seychelles.

Egretta gularis   WESTERN REEF-EGRET.  Coasts, estuaries, mudflats, mangroves.  Coasts and offshore islands in Cape Verde Is., sw Mauritania, Mali, Senegambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Fernando Po, Príncipe, São Tomé and Annobón islands in the Gulf of Guinea; coasts and islands of the Red Sea coast from Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Socotra I., n Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Aldabra and Comoros, Madagascar, Arabia, and Persian Gulf e to w coast of India, Sri Lanka and Laccadive Is.

E. gularis and E. dimorpha are sometimes treated as races of E. garzetta and reports of sympatry are unclear.  E. dimorpha has been treated as a race of E. gularis.  E. garzetta apparently has a rare black morph which adds to the confusion about the relationships among these species.

Egretta dimorpha   DIMORPHIC EGRET.  On mainland Africa strictly marine on coasts, mudflats, marshes, mangroves; breeds on offshore coral islets.  Occurs inland only on Madagascar where there is no competition from E. garzetta.  Lowlands to 1000 m along coasts of se Kenya and Tanzania, Pemba and Mafia islands; Aldabra and Comoro islands; formerly on Assumption I. in the Seychelles; Madagascar.

"The East African List Committee, following Zimmerman, Turner and Pearson (in prep.) consider dimorpha an incipient species in the process of occupying a niche not occupied by garzetta ....  However, ... it has not yet reached the point where it can be considered specifically distinct from garzetta."  (D. A. Turner, pers. comm.).  The relationships among garzetta, gularis and dimorpha clearly are complex.

Egretta thula   SNOWY EGRET.  Marshes, lakes, ponds, lagoons, mangroves.  Lowlands to 2600 m from n California, n Nevada, se Idaho, Montana, S. Dakota, c Kansas, c Oklahoma, Texas, Gulf coast, s Ontario, New England and Nova Scotia, s through e U.S., both slopes of Middle America, and W. Indies to Panama, and S. America s to c Chile to Chiloé I., and c Argentina to Córdoba and Buenos Aires.
Egretta eulophotes   CHINESE EGRET.  Lagoons, seashores, flooded fields.  Lowlands of se China, Hainan I., n Korea and Hong Kong.  One record of a vagrant on Attu I. in the Aleutians.
Egretta sacra   PACIFIC REEF-EGRET.  Coasts, beaches, mangroves.  From Andaman and Nicobar islands, se Asia w to Burma, Hainan I., Taiwan, Pescadores Is., Ryukyu Is., and s Japan in w,s Honshu and s Kyushu, s throughout E. Indies incl. many small islands, Philippines, New Guinea and most adj. islands; from Mariana and Marshall is s to New Caledonia, Tonga, Loyalty and Tubuai is., Tuamotu and Oeno I., to Cocos on Keeling I., and Christmas Is.; Australia on coasts, rare in s; New Zealand.

Pilherodius pileatus   CAPPED HERON.  Rivers and ponds near forest, wooded savanna, farms.  Lowlands to 500 m from e Panama, n,c,e Colombia, Venezuela and Guianas s, e of Andes, through e Ecuador, e Peru and Brazil s to Santa Catarina and to n,e Bolivia and n Paraguay.  May be related to the night-herons.
Ardea cinerea   GREY HERON.  Lakes, marshes, swamps, rivers, flooded fields, mangroves.

A. c. cinerea  From Outer Hebrides, British Isles and nw,s Scandinavia e across c Russia and c Siberia to Sakhalin and Japan, s to Canary Is., and from Morocco to Tunisia; n Mediterranean region, Nile delta, Red Sea coast, Turkey, Iraq, n Iran, n Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, se Asia, Sumatra, Lingga Arch., Java, Lesser Sunda Is., Hainan and Taiwan.  Occurs widely in Africa with breeding confirmed in Senegambia, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Ghana, s Nigeria, Mali, Niger, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa; also recorded in Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, C. Afr. Rep., Gabon, Congo, Zaire and Mozambique; breeds on the Aldabra Is. and in Madagascar.  European birds winter in Africa between the Sahara to the Equator.  Most breeding colonies are in southern Africa, north to the Equator.
 A. c. monicae has been recognized as a separate subspecies by some authors because it breeds on the Banc d'Arguin islands off nw Mauritania and therefore does not interbreed with cinerea.  It is known from only two specimens; its status is uncertain.

Ardea herodias   GREAT BLUE HERON.  Marshes, lakes, swamps, rivers, lagoons, coasts, mangroves.

Populations in the Caribbean are polymorphic and the white morph formerly was treated as a separate species, A. occidentalis, the Great White Heron, now usually considered a race of herodias, as below.  The name "Great White Heron" would be appropriate for Ardea alba, formerly called the Great Egret, see below.
 A. h. herodias  From sc,se Alaska, coastal, w British Columbia, n Alberta, s Keewatin, c Manitoba, s Ontario, s Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward I. and Nova Scotia s through U.S. and n Mexico to Guerrero, Veracruz, Gulf coast and interior s Florida; Galapagos Is.
 A. h. occidentalis  S coastal Florida, Florida Keys, Cuba, I. of Pines, Virgin Is. on St. Thomas and Anegada; coast of Yucatán Pen., and I. Los Roques off n Venezuela.

Ardea cocoi   COCOI HERON.  Rivers, lagoons, marshes, swamps.  Lowlands to 1500 m from e Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Guianas s to s Chile in Magallanes and s Argentina in Chubut.
Ardea pacifica   PACIFIC HERON.  Lakes, ponds, marshes.  Australia and Tasmania; ranges to s New Guinea.
Ardea melanocephala   BLACK-HEADED HERON.  Grassland, savanna.  Senegambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, s Mauritania, s Mali, Burkina Faso, s Niger, Cameroon, C. Afr. Rep., s Chad, c,s Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Yemen, Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozamique, Gabon, Congo, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and s to s S. Africa.
Ardea humbloti   HUMBLOT'S HERON.  Mangroves, marshes, mudflats.  Lowlands of w,s Madagascar.

Ardea goliath   GOLIATH HERON.  Lakes, marshes, swamps, mangroves, coasts.  Senegambia, s Mauritania, s Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, C. African Rep., Chad, s Sudan, se Egypt, coastal Ethiopia Eritrea, Djibouti, nw,s Somalia, sw Arabia in Yemen, ne Zaire, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Mafia I., Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Gabon, Congo, s Angola, ne Namibia, n,e Botswana, Zimbabwe, to e S. Africa in Transvaal, Orange Free State and nc Cape Prov.; s Iraq in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley and s Iran.
Ardea insignis   WHITE-BELLIED HERON.  Swamps, marshes, forested rivers.  Himalayan foothills in ne India in Nepal, Sikkim, n Bihar, Bhutan, n Bangladesh, ne Assam and Burma.
Ardea sumatrana   GREAT-BILLED HERON.  Mangroves, swamps, estuaries, islands, beaches.  Lowlands of w,s Burma incl. Tenasserim, se, pen. Thailand, s Vietnam in Cochinchina, Malaya, E. Indies incl. many small islands; Philippines on Mindoro, Palawan, Bantayan, Guimara, Negros, Bohol, Basilan and Sulu Arch.; New Guinea, Biak and Yapen is.; coasts and islands of n Australia from nw W. Australia s to Derby e to ne Queensland s to Broad Sound.

Ardea purpurea   PURPLE HERON.  Marshes, swamps, reedbeds, flooded fields, lakes, mangroves.

The Purple Heron breeds locally and migrates to many areas south of the breeding grounds.  The geographic variation is not well understood and there is uncertainty about the validity and ranges of the several subspecies that have been described.  Breeding colonies are sparsely distributed and the following distribution may include records of migrants and wintering birds.
 A. p. purpurea  Local colonies from Europe s to Spain and Portugal, n to France, Netherlands, Germany and Poland, e across s Russia n to Ukraine, lower Volga and lower Ural rivers, in the s, n to Kazakhstan and s Kirghiz steppes e to Lake Balkash.  From Pakistan and India in lowlands, Nepal, Sri Lanka, s,se,e China, Hainan I., and se Siberia; s to a few colonies in nw Africa from n Morocco e to Algeria; Nile Valley; n Mediterranean region, Sardinia, n Egypt, Turkey, Lake Huleh in Israel, Near and Middle East in river valleys, nw Arabia, Andaman and Nicobar is., se Asia, Sumatra and adj. islands, Lingga Arch., Java and Kangean Is., Borneo, Sulawesi, Peleng and Butung is., Lesser Sunda is. of Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores and Roti; Buru I. in s Moluccas; Philippines.  Senegambia, Mali and possibly nw Zaire.  From se Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and s Somalia s through Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, interior Tanzania, se Zaire, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, and w Zimbabwe to S. Africa in e,s Cape Province.  Occurs in other African countries but breeding not confirmed.  Lowlands to 1800 m of Madagascar; Seychelles.  Incl. madagascariensis.  Wintering birds from the north occur widely in Africa.

A. p. bournei  São Tiago I. in the Cape Verde Is.  Ca. 200 pairs.  May be a separate species, but its status is unclear.

Ardea picata   PIED HERON.  Riparian trees, mangroves.  Sulawesi, Tanimbar islands and n Australia from ne W. Australia in the Kimberleys, e to ne Queensland, s to Townsville.  Ranges n to Borneo and Moluccas, e to New Guinea and s to c Australia.  Affinities uncertain, often placed in Egretta.
Ardea alba  (= Casmerodius albus).  GREAT EGRET.  GREAT WHITE HERON would be an appropriate English name but has been applied to a white race of A. herodias.  Marshes, swamps, mangroves, reedbeds, lakes, rivers.

The inclusion of this species in Ardea is supported by DNA hybridization data.  It was listed as Ardea alba by Mayr and Cottrell (1979. Peters' Check-list of Birds of the World, vol. 1, 2nd ed. pp. 203-204).  The relationships among the following races are not clear.  A. a. modesta may be a separate species, but extensive comparisons among all forms have not been done.
 A. a. alba  From s Czechoslovakia, Austria and Balkans e across Turkey, n to Ukraine, lower Volga and lower Ural rivers, n to Kazakhstan and Kirghiz steppes, Mongolia and se Siberia in Transbaicalia, s Amurland and Ussuriland to n Japan.
 A. a. modesta  From Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Manchuria, Korea, s Japan, Philippines, Celebes, Moluccas, s through s Asia, E. Indies (vagrants?) and New Guinea to Solomon Is. (Bougainville, Rennell), Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand (breeding on S. Island near Okarito).  A. a. modesta may be a separate species.  It differs from A. a. alba in behavior and is smaller than the other races.

A. a. melanorhynchos  Locally in Africa from s Mauritania, Senegambia, s Mali, se Niger, C. African Rep., n Ethiopia s to c Namibia, n Botswana and e,s Africa, and in lowlands to 800 m on Mohéli I. in the Comoro Is. and Madagascar.  Confirmed breeding in Senegambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Somalia, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa; Comoros, Madagascar.
 A. a. egretta  Locally in lowlands to 2600 m from s Oregon, s Idaho, se Saskatchewan, sw Manitoba, c Minnesota, s Ontario, New York and New England s through U.S., Middle America, W. Indies and S. America to s Chile at the Straits of Magellan and s Argentina in Santa Cruz.

Ardea intermedia   INTERMEDIATE EGRET.  (= Mesophoyx intermedia; Egretta intermedia).  Marshes, flooded fields, swamps, estuaries, mangroves.

DNA hybridization data place Mesophoyx intermedia and Bubulcus ibis closer to Ardea than to Egretta (Sheldon, 1987. Auk 104:606-612).
 The three following subspecies are widely allopatric and morphologically distinct in color of soft parts, especially the bill and head; they may be allospecies.
 A. i. brachyrhyncha  Breeding confirmed in Mauritania, Mali, Senegambia, Nigeria, L. Chad area, Sudan, Ethiopia, possibly Congo, Zaire, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Angola, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa in Transvaal, Orange Free State, Natal and s,e Cape Prov.  Also recorded in Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Eritrea, Somalia, Cameroon, C. African Rep., Gabon, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia.
 A. i. intermedia  Lowlands to 1400 m from Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, s,e China and s Japan on Honshu and Shikoku, s through Andaman and Nicobar is. and se Asia to E. Indies in Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi; possibly vagrants only elsewhere.

A. i. plumifera  New Guinea (possibly) and n,e,se Australia from ne W. Australia e to Queensland, s to Victoria and w to se S. Australia.

Bubulcus ibis   CATTLE EGRET.  (Probably belongs in Ardea, has been placed in Egretta).  Wet fields, marshes, swamps, pastures, grassland, often associated with large grazing mammals.

B. i. ibis  From Cape Verde Is. (formerly?), Iberian Peninsula, s France, n Morocco, n Algeria, Egypt, e through Turkey and Near East to Caspian Sea area and se Iraq.  Occurs in all African countries and breeds in most (perhaps all) from Senegambia e through s Mali, s Niger, Cameroon, São Tomé, s Chad and c,s Sudan to Ethiopia and s Somalia and s to S. Africa; Madagascar; most islands in Indian Ocean s to Mascarene Is.  From nw,c California, s Idaho, s Saskatchewan, Minnesota, s Ontario and New England s through U.S., Middle America, W. Indies and S. America to nw Chile and n Argentina; Galapagos Is.  Introduced in the Hawaiian Is. and has colonized many parts of the world in recent years, including a trans-Atlantic movement from sw Europe to ne South America and from there throughout most of South and North America, as above.
 B. i. coromanda  From Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka e to China, Japan and Ryukyu Is., Bonin Is. and s through se Asia, E. Indies, Philippines and New Guinea to islands in the Indian Ocean.  Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia (vagrant only) and Caroline Is.

Ardeola:  Morphologically similar to Butorides.
Ardeola ralloides   SQUACCO HERON.  Swamps, marshes, rivers, lagoons, wet grassland.  From s Iberian Pen., se France, Italy, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Romania s to nw Morocco and Greece e through Turkey and Near East to Iraq, Iran, c,s Ukraine, upper Irtysh R. region and Transcaspia to Turkestan.  Sw Mauritania, s Mali, Senegambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, L. Chad area and from ne,se Zaire, s Egypt, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania; s to Gabon, Congo, Angola, n Namibia, e Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and e S. Africa in Transvaal, Orange Free State, Natal and se Cape Prov; Madagascar; Aldabra and Comores.  Not recorded in Gulf of Guinea Is., Cape Verde Is., Eritrea, Djibouti, Socotra I., Yemen, Seychelles or Mascarene Is.

Ardeola grayii   INDIAN POND-HERON.  Lakes, marshes, rivers, flooded fields, swamps, tidal mudflats, mangroves.  From Kuwait and s Iran along Persian Gulf e through Pakistan and India to 1500 m, Sri Lanka, Burma and Laccadive Is, s to Maldive, Andaman and Nicobar islands.
Ardeola bacchus   CHINESE POND-HERON.  Ponds, marshes, flooded fields.  Lowlands from e India, Bangladesh, Assam, Manipur and s,e China to e Inner Mongolia and Hainan I., s to Andaman Is., Burma and Indochina.  Extent of breeding in se Asia uncertain.
Ardeola speciosa   JAVAN POND-HERON.  Ponds, marshes, flooded fields, mangroves  Lowlands in c Thailand, Cambodia, s Vietnam in Cochinchina; Sumatra, Java, Kangean Is., Borneo, Sulawesi, Salayar and Butung is., Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa and Sumba is.; and probably Mindanao in the s Philippines; possibly s Burma in Tenasserim and s Malaya.

Ardeola idae   MADAGASCAR POND-HERON.  Ponds, marshes, mangroves.  Breeds in Madagascar and Aldabra Is.  Recorded in Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
Ardeola rufiventris   RUFOUS-BELLIED HERON.  Marshes, reedbeds, swamps.  Breeding confirmed in Uganda, Rwanda, se Zaire, Zambia, n Namibia, n Botswana, Angola, Malawi, Zimbabwe and extreme e S. Africa in Natal.  Ranges widely in e,s Africa; records from Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique.
Butorides striatus   STRIATED HERON.  Ponds, rivers, lakes, lagoons, marshes, swamps, mangroves.  Lowlands of Africa, breeding locally in w,e,se; coast of Red Sea and Gulf of Aden; Madagascar and Comoro and Mascarene islands; lowlands, mostly below 1200 m, from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, c,e China, Hainan I., se Siberia, s Sakhalin and Japan n to n Honshu, s through se Asia, E. Indies, Philippines and New Guinea to is. in the Indian Ocean off India; coastal w,n,e,se Australia s in W. Australia to Carnarvon and in se to Victoria; islands from Bismarck Arch. and Solomons e,s to Fiji, New Caledonia, Loyalty and Tahiti in the Society Is.  Lowlands to 2600 m from c,e Panama and w Colombia, Venezuela, Margarita I., Trinidad and Guianas s to nw Chile and n Argentina; Galapagos Is.

Butorides virescens   GREEN HERON.  Ponds, rivers, lakes, lagoons, marshes, swamps, mangroves.  From sw British Columbia, w Washington, w Oregon, n Calif., wc,s Nevada, s Utah, nc New Mexico, e Colorado, e S. Dakota, c Minnesota, n Wisconsin, nc Michigan, s Ontario, s Quebec and s New Brunswick s through U.S., Middle America and W. Indies to e Panama, Pearl Is., Tobago and is. off n coast of Venezuela from Aruba e to La Tortuga and La Blanquilla.

Present information indicates that striatus and virescens are best treated as allospecies, although both have been found on Cocos I. off Costa Rica and may breed there, but it seems likely that striatus was only a vagrant.

Butorides sundevalli   GALAPAGOS HERON.  Rocky coasts, mangroves.  Galapagos Islands.

Family SCOPIDAE:
Scopus umbretta  HAMERKOP.  Lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes.  Senegambia, s Mauritania, s Mali, Burkina Faso, s Niger, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, C. Afr. Rep., s Chad, s Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen, Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and to s S. Africa; lowlands to 1800 m of Madagascar.  Resident and breeding in most countries.

Family PHOENICOPTERIDAE:

Phoenicopterus ruber   GREATER FLAMINGO.  Salt lakes, brackish shallow lagoons, mudspits.
P. r. roseus  Along Mediterranean and nw African coasts in s Spain, s France (Camargue), Turkey, s Morocco, sw Mauritania, Tunisia and ne Egypt; Arabia; ne Caspian Sea, lakes in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran, se Afghanistan, Pakistan in Sind, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka.  Senegambia, Gulf of Guinea Is., Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Burundi, Uganda, sw Kenya, n Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and S. Africa; w,s Madagascar; Seychelles, Aldabra, Comores.
 P. r. ruber  Locally in Galapagos Is.; se Mexico on the Yucatán Peninsula; Cuba, Hispaniola probably incl. Gonâve and Beata islands; s Bahamas on Acklins I. and Great Inagua; Bonaire I. in the Netherlands Antilles; and ne Colombia in Magdalena and Guajira.

Phoenicopterus chilensis   CHILEAN FLAMINGO.  Mudflats, shallow lagoons, lakes.

Often included in P. ruber, with which it readily hybridizes in captivity.
 Andes from c,s Peru s through c,s Bolivia to s Chile in n Magallanes; pampas and mts. of Paraguay, Uruguay, s Brazil in Rio Grande do Sul and c,s Argentina s to Santa Cruz.  Often included in ruber.

Phoenicopterus minor   LESSER FLAMINGO.  Brackish shallows, mudspits, salt lakes.  Local in sw Mauritania, Senegambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Gabon, Rift Valley in c Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Yemen, ne Zaire, Burundi, Uganda, w Kenya, sw Tanzania, Malawi, n Zambia, Angola, cn Namibia, Zimbabwe, c Botswana, Mozambique and c,s S. Africa; Madagascar.  Presumably breeding in Pakistan and nw India e to Ganges plain, Orissa and Gujarat.

"In view of its highly specialized feeding habits the South African and East African List Committees prefer to place this species in Phoeniconaias...." (D. A. Turner, pers. comm.).

Phoenicopterus andinus   ANDEAN FLAMINGO.  Brackish shallows, mudspits, lakes.  High Andes in s Peru, sw Bolivia in Oruro and Potosí, n Chile in Tarapacá, Antofagasta and Atacama; and nw Argentina in Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán and Catamarca.
Phoenicopterus jamesi   PUNA FLAMINGO.  Brackish shallows, mudspits, lakes.  High Andes in s Peru on Lake Titicaca, w Bolivia in La Paz, Oruro and Potosí, ne Chile in Tarapacá, and nw Argentina in Jujuy, Salta, Catamarca and Tucumán.

Family THRESKIORNITHIDAE:
Eudocimus albus   WHITE IBIS.  Marshes, mangroves, lagoons, lakes, wooded swamps.  Mostly near coasts from c Baja Calif. n to lat 27°N, c Sinaloa, s,e Texas, s Louisiana, Florida, coastal Virginia, Cuba and Isle of Pines, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Bahamas s through Middle America to Pacific coast of nw S. America s to nw Peru, and Caribbean coast to n,e Colombia, n,sw Venezuela and French Guiana.  E. albus and E. ruber hybridize in captivity, but interbreeding in mixed colonies in Venezuela is relatively rare.  They overlap in few places and could be considered conspecific or as allospecies.
Eudocimus ruber   SCARLET IBIS.  Coastal swamps, mangroves, lagoons, tidewater rivers.  N,e S. America in n,e Colombia (breeding?) from lower Magdalena Valley e to Guajira, s to Caquetá, Meta and Arauca; Venezuela exc. s, but incl. Margarita I., breeding in Falcón, Apure and Delta Amacuro; Trinidad, Guianas and n,e coastal Brazil s to São Paulo and Paraná.

Phimosus infuscatus   WHISPERING IBIS.  Forest and savanna rivers and pools.  Lowlands to 2000 m from n,e Colombia and ne Ecuador e to Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam and n Brazil in Roraima; n.e Bolivia, c,s Brazil s to Rio Grande do Sul, Paraguay, Uruguay and n Argentina s to Tucumán, Córdoba, Santa Fe and Buenos Aires.
Plegadis falcinellus   GLOSSY IBIS.  Marshes, swamps, lagoons, lakes.  Locally from s Europe in Austria, Italy, Balkans, Greece, formerly Iberian Pen. and France; nw Africa in Morocco and Algeria; e across Turkey, Near East, Caspian and Aral seas, Turkestan and Lake Balkhash, nw Mongolia, Middle East, Pakistan in Sind, n India from Uttar Pradesh e to Assam and s to Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Manipur, Burma and se China, Hainan I.  Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi and n,s Philippines on Luzon and Mindanao.  Africa in s Mauritania, s Mali, Niger, Ethiopia, Somalia, Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda,  Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, s Angola, n Namibia, n,e Botswana, Zimbabwe and ne S. Africa.  Madagascar.  N,e,s Australia.  E,se U.S. from New England s to Florida and w on Gulf coast to Louisiana and Arkansas; Cuba, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico; n Venezuela in Aragua.

Plegadis chihi   WHITE-FACED IBIS.  Marshes, swamps, lagoons, lakes.  Locally from c California, e Oregon, s Idaho, Montana, s N. Dakota and (formerly) sw Minnesota s to Colima, Zacatecas, México, Veracruz, s,e Texas, s Louisiana and s Alabama on Cat I.  Locally in c,se Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, s Brazil, n,c Argentina s to Río Negro.  Sometimes lumped with falcinellus, but the breeding ranges overlap marginally along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
Plegadis ridgwayi   PUNA IBIS.  Swampy areas, ponds and streams in puna grassland.  High Andes from c Peru s through c,s Bolivia to extreme n Chile in Arica and Tarapacá, and nw Argentina in Jujuy and Salta.
Cercibis oxycerca   SHARP-TAILED IBIS.  Marshes, ponds and streams in savanna.  Lowlands to 500 m e of the Andes from llanos of e Colombia, c Venezuela, sw Guyana and Surinam, s to w Amazonian Brazil from Rio Negro and Rio Branco s to Rio Guaporé in nw Mato Grosso.

Theristicus caerulescens   PLUMBEOUS IBIS.  Ponds, marshes.  Lowlands in n,se Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, s Brazil and n Argentina.
Theristicus caudatus   BUFF-NECKED IBIS.  Marshes and ponds, usually in savanna.  Lowlands to 1600 m from c,e Colombia, n,c Venezuela, Guyana and French Guiana.  s, e of the Andes through Brazil to n,e,se Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and n Argentina.
Theristicus branickii   ANDEAN IBIS.  Marshes and ponds in puna.  High Andes from Ecuador s to extreme n Chile and cw Bolivia.  Sometimes treated as a race of T. melanopis.
Theristicus melanopis   BLACK-FACED IBIS.  Marshes, ponds, reedbeds, open forest.  From coastal Peru, n Chile and c Argentina s to Cape Horn.

Mesembrinibis cayennensis   GREEN IBIS.  Swampy woods, ponds and streams in forest.  Lowlands to 500 m from Panama, n,e Colombia, s Venezuela and Guianas s, e of the Andes through e Ecuador, e Peru, n,e Bolivia and Brazil to Paraguay and ne Argentina in Misiones.
Bostrychia hagedash   HADADA IBIS.  Wooded streams in savanna and open forest.  From Mauritania and Senegambia e across s Mali, Burkina Faso, s Niger, s Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Gulf of Guinea Is., to C. Afr. Rep., Chad, s Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and s Somalia, s to Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, sw,sc,se Zaire, e Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, ne Namibia, n,e Botswana and S. Africa in Transvaal, Orange Free State, Natal and Cape Province.
Bostrychia carunculata   WATTLED IBIS.  Open forest.  Mts. above 1800 m of Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Bostrychia olivacea   OLIVE IBIS.  Humid forest.  From Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghana sw Cameroon, Gabon, C. African Rep., and cw,ne,ce Zaire; Aberdare Mts. and Mt. Kenya in c Kenya, and ne Tanzania on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Usambara Mts. and probably on Mt. Meru.  São Tomé I. in the Gulf of Guinea; population on Príncipe I. possibly extinct.
Bostrychia rara   SPOT-BREASTED IBIS.  Forested swamps.  Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, sw C. African Rep., n,ne Zaire and w Uganda, and s to Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, cw,cs,ce Zaire and extreme ne Angola.
Geronticus eremita   WALDRAPP. Dry, rocky areas, high meadows, montane streams.  May be nearing extinction.  Locally in three disjunct areas:  mts. of Morocco and n Algeria; se Turkey along the Euphrates River; possibly Arabia and Red Sea area.  A feeding flock in sw Arabia may indicate an undiscovered colony in the Middle East (World Birdwatch 16(1):16).  Formerly bred in s Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Syria, probably Greece.

Geronticus calvus   BALD IBIS.  Cliffs, mt. gorges.  Highlands above 900 m of S. Africa in e Transvaal, e Orange Free State, Lesotho, Natal and e Cape Province.
Lophotibis cristata   WHITE-WINGED IBIS.  Forest.  Lowlands to 1800 m of Madagascar.
Threskiornis aethiopicus   SACRED IBIS.  Marshes, open moist areas, flooded farms, coastal lagoons.

T. a. aethiopicus  Occurs in all subSaharan African countries from sw Mauritania and Senegambia e across s Mali, s Niger, s Chad and Sudan incl. most of the Nile River Valley, to Ethiopia and Somalia and s to s S. Africa; also se Iraq.
 T. a. bernieri  Lowlands of Madagascar and Aldabra Is.  Sometimes treated as a separate species.

Threskiornis melanocephalus   BLACK-HEADED IBIS.  Marshes, lakes, rivers, farms, lagoons.  Lowlands in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, c,ne China, Burma, Thailand, Indochina and Malaya (vagrant only); w Java.  Sometimes included in T. aethiopicus.
Threskiornis molucca   AUSTRALIAN IBIS.  Pastures, swamps, flooded fields, woods, lawns.  Lowlands on Seram I. in the s Moluccas; Kai Besar in the Kai Is.; Waigeo and Salawati in the w Papuan Is., New Guinea, and Australia except the dry western interior; most common from ne W. Australaia in the Kimberleys e to Queensland, s to Victoria and w to s S. Australia.  Ranges to Tasmania and New Zealand.  Sometimes included in T. aethiopicus.
Threskiornis spinicollis   STRAW-NECKED IBIS.  Swamps, pastures, dry grassland.  Australia.

Pseudibis papillosa   RED-NAPED IBIS.  Lakes, rivers, farms, marshes.  Lowlands in Pakistan in Sind, and India s to Mysore and e to Nepal and Assam.
Pseudibis davisoni   WHITE-SHOULDERED IBIS.  Lakes, rivers, farms, marshes.  Lowlands in sw China in sw Yunnan, w,c,s Burma, nw,c,peninsular Thailand and Indochina.  May be conspecific with papillosa.
Pseudibis gigantea   GIANT IBIS.  Swamps, lakes, open forest.  Lowlands in c,peninsular Thailand, Cambodia, c,s Laos and s Vietnam in Cochinchina.
Nipponia nippon   CRESTED IBIS.  Lakes among wooded hills, rice paddies, swamps, ponds.  Nearly extinct.  Known only from cw Honshu on Sado I. and the Ishikawa Peninsula in c Japan; c China in s Shensi.  Formerly bred in e China and Japan.

Platalea leucorodia   EURASIAN SPOONBILL.  Swamps, lakes, mudflats, lagoons.  From s Spain, Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Balkans and Turkey e to n Black and Caspian seas, the Aral Sea and Kazakhstan, s Siberia in Tuva, e Transbaicalia and Ussuriland, Mongolia and n China to Manchuria, Japan and Korea, s to se Iraq, s Iran and Afghanistan, e across Pakistan to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.  Islands off coast of s Mauritania, Senegambia, perhaps Guinea-Bissau, w shore of Red Sea from Egypt and Sudan to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, n Somalia and the coast of Yemen.
Platalea regia   ROYAL SPOONBILL.  Swamp vegetation,, bushes, trees.  Locally in lowlands of w Java.  Australia in wet areas except c W. Australia, sw N. Australia and w S. Australia; s New Zealand in Okarito on the South Island.  Rennell I. in the s Solomon Is.  Sometimes included in P. leucorodia.

Platalea alba   AFRICAN SPOONBILL.  Lakes, marshes, estuaries.  Locally in Mauritania, Senegambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, s Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, C. Afr. Rep., Sudan to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and s Somalia, and s (exc. forested wc) to Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique and S. Africa; lowlands of w Madagascar.
Platalea minor   BLACK-FACED SPOONBILL.  Mudflats, lakes, estuaries.  Ne China from Manchuria s to coastal Fukien and Korea.
Platalea flavipes   YELLOW-BILLED SPOONBILL.  Marshes, pools, swamps.  Australia.  Ranges to Tasmania.
Ajaia ajaja   ROSEATE SPOONBILL.  Marshes, swamps, ponds, lagoons, mangroves.  Locally in lowlands to 1000 m from n Sinaloa, coastal Texas, sw Louisiana, s Florida, Cuba and Isle of Pines, Hispaniola and Great Inagua in s Bahamas, s through Middle America to Panama, and from n,e Colombia, Venezuela and Guianas s, e of Andes through e Ecuador, e Peru, n,e,se Bolivia and Brazil to Paraguay, Uruguay and n Argentina s to Córdoba and Buenos Aires; west of Andes in w Ecuador and nw Peru; c Chile (formerly?).

Family PELECANIDAE:
Subfamily BALAENICIPITINAE:
Balaeniceps rex   SHOEBILL.  Swamps.  C Africa from ne Cameroon, C. African Rep., s Sudan and cw Ethiopia s through e Zaire, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, sw Kenya and w Tanzania to se Zaire and n Zambia.  A record from Botswana is erroneous, but the Shoebill has been recorded and photographed in sw Kenya in Sept.-Oct. 1994 (D. A. Turner, pers. comm.).

Subfamily PELECANINAE:
Pelecanus onocrotalus   GREAT WHITE PELICAN.  Lakes, marshes.  In Romania (formerly Yugoslavia, Hungary and Bulgaria), Greece, Turkey, nw Iran, n coasts of Black, Caspian and Aral seas, Lake Balkasch area in Kazakhstan, nw Persian Gulf in Kuwait, w India in Kutch, and s Vietnam in Cochinchina.  Africa in scattered colonies in sw Mauritania, Mali, Senegambia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Lake Chad basin, Ethiopia, sw Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and S. Africa.  Occurs in other African countries as an intra-African migrant.
Pelecanus rufescens   PINK-BACKED PELICAN.  Swamps, lakes, marshes.  Locally in Senegambia, s Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana, n Nigeria, s Chad, s Sudan and n Ethiopia and Eritrea on the Red Sea coast; from Uganda, Kenya and s Somalia s through Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia to n Botswana, Mozambique, Angola and n,e S. Africa in e Transvaal and n Natal.  Occurs in other African countries as an intra-African migrant.  Sw Arabia; Madagascar (formerly) and Amirante I. in the Seychelles.

Pelecanus crispus   DALMATIAN PELICAN.  Lakes, rivers, seacoasts, lagoons, estuaries.  From Albania and Greece e across Turkey, se Balkans, n shores of Black and Caspian seas, Kazakhstan and Turkestan from Aral Sea to Lake Balkhash, to se Mongolia and w China in w Sinkiang; s Iran.  Sometimes treated as a race of P. philippensis.
Pelecanus philippensis   SPOT-BILLED PELICAN.  Lakes, rivers, seacoasts, lagoons, estuaries.  Lowlands from Pakistan, India (breeding known only in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Assam), Sri Lanka and se China, Hainan I., s through se Asia (breeding uncertain) to Sumatra, Java and Philippines on Luzon and Mindanao, at least formerly.
Pelecanus conspicillatus   AUSTRALIAN PELICAN.  Lakes, lagoons, estuaries.  Australia and Tasmania.

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos   AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN.  Rivers, lakes, estuaries, bays.  From sc British Columbia, ne Alberta, nw Saskatchewan, c Manitoba and sw Ontario s locally to ne California, w Nevada, n Utah, n Colorado, ne S. Dakota and sw Minnesota; se Texas; Durango.
Pelecanus occidentalis   BROWN PELICAN.  Seacoasts, estuaries, bays, islands.  Pacific coast, usually on islands, from c Calif. incl. Channel Islands, s to w Mexico incl. islands in Gulf of California, Isabela and Tres Marías islands, s Honduras in the Bay of Fonseca, Costa Rica, Panama incl. Pearl Is., and many small islets.  Colombia and Ecuador.  From coast of se U.S. n to Maryland and s to Texas; s Bahamas on Great Inagua and Caicos Is., Greater Antilles e to Virgin Is. and St. Martin; islands off Yucatán Peninsula and Belize; off n coast of Venezuela from Aruba to Los Roques, e to Tobago and Trinidad; Galapagos Islands.  Ranges from s British Columbia and New England s to n Peru and n Brazil.

Pelecanus thagus   PERUVIAN PELICAN.  Seacoasts, estuaries, bays, islands.  From coastal Peru n to Piura to s Chile on Isla Chiloé.  Often considered conspecific with occidentalis.

Family CICONIIDAE:
Subfamily CATHARTINAE:
Coragyps atratus   BLACK VULTURE.  In many habitats, especially towns and villages, exc. in heavy forest.  Lowlands and mts. to 3500 m from s Arizona, Chihuahua, w Texas, e Oklahoma, e Kansas, Missouri, s Illinois, s Indiana, c Ohio, sc Pennsylvania and New Jersey s through se U.S. and Middle America to Panama, and from Colombia, Venezuela and Margarita I., Trinidad and Guianas s (exc. humid Andean slopes and puna and paramo zones) to c Chile and c Argentina in Río Negro.
Cathartes aura   TURKEY VULTURE.  Forest, grassland, desert, open country.  Mostly lowlands and mts. to 3900 m from s British Columbia e across s Canada to w,s Ontario, s Quebec and New England, s through U.S. and Middle America to Panama, and from Colombia, Venezuela incl. Margarita I., Trinidad and Guianas s to Tierra del Fuego; Falkland Is.; n Bahamas; Cuba and Isle of Pines; Jamaica.

Cathartes burrovianus   LESSER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE.  Grassland, savanna, marshes, broken forestLowlands to 1800 m in s Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, n Chiapas, Yucatán Pen., Oaxaca on both slopes, Belize, Guatemala in Petén, Mosquitia in e Honduras and ne Nicaragua, nc Costa Rica, Panama, and from sw,c,e Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Surinam, s, e of the Andes through e Peru, n,e Bolivia and Brazil to Paraguay, Uruguay and n Argentina in Corrientes, Chaco and Santa Fe.
Cathartes melambrotus   GREATER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE.  Forest.  Lowlands to 1000 m e of the Andes in se Colombia, e,s Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, n Brazil, e Peru and n,e Bolivia.
Gymnogyps californianus   CALIFORNIA CONDOR.  Rocky and brushy areas in mountainous country, grassland, savanna.  Until recently only in the coastal ranges of s Calif. with breeding confined to Los Padres National Forest.  Now extirpated in the wild, breeding only in captivity.  Attempts to release birds bred in captivity so far not successful.  Formerly from s British Columbia s to n Baja Calif. in historic times.

Vultur gryphus   ANDEAN CONDOR.  Open areas, usually in mountains, breeds on rocky cliffs. Mts., 1500-5200 m from Colombia and w Venezuela s through Andes of Ecuador, Peru incl. seacoasts, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina to Navarino I. in Tierra del Fuego.  Ranges widely to lowlands.  Formerly widespread, now local and reduced in numbers.
Sarcoramphus papa   KING VULTURE.  Forest, savanna.  Lowlands to 1500 m from Sinaloa, Puebla and Veracruz s to Panama, and from Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Guianas s, w of Andes to nw Peru, and e of the Andes through e Ecuador, e Peru, Brazil and Bolivia to Paraguay, Uruguay and n Argentina.

Subfamily CICONIINAE:
Mycteria americana   WOOD STORK.  Marshes, swamps, lagoons, mangroves.  Lowlands to 2200 m from s Sonora, Mexican Plateau (rarely), Gulf coast from e Texas to Florida and Atlantic coast n to S. Carolina, s along both slopes of Middle America, incl. many islands, to Panama and from Colombia (mostly on Caribbean coast), Venezuela, Trinidad and Guianas s, w of Andes to c Peru and e of Andes through e Ecuador, e Peru, n,e,se Bolivia and Brazil to n Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and n Argentina; Cuba; Dominican Rep. in e Hispaniola.
Mycteria cinerea   MILKY STORK.  Lakes, marshes, lagoons, flooded fields, mangroves.  Lowlands to 1000 m in Cambodia, s Vietnam in Cochinchina, Malaya, Sumatra, e Java and Sulawesi.
Mycteria ibis   YELLOW-BILLED STORK.  Lakes, marshes, lagoons.  Sw Mauritania, Senegambia, s Mali, s Niger, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, C. Afr. Rep., s Chad, s Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and n,e S. Africa in Transvaal, Orange Free State and Natal; w Madagascar.

Mycteria leucocephala   PAINTED STORK.  Marshes, lakes, flooded fields, swamps.  Lowlands in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, se China, c,s Burma, c, peninsular Thailand and Indochina, exc. n Vietnam.
Anastomus oscitans   ASIAN OPENBILL.  Lakes, rivers, marshes, flooded fields.  Lowlands in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and s Vietnam in Cochinchina.
Anastomus lamelligerus   AFRICAN OPENBILL.  Lakes, marshes, rivers.  Senegambia, Sierra Leone, s Mali, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, s Niger, Cameroon, C. Afr. Rep., s Chad, s Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and n,e S. Africa; lowlands to 1200 m of w Madagascar.  Intra-African migrant, breeds in suitable habitat in many countries.
Ciconia nigra   BLACK STORK.  Streams, ponds, lakes and swampy meadows, usually in or near forest.  Iberian Peninsula; and from Germany and Estonia s to Balkans and Greece (formerly n to Denmark and Sweden), e across c Russia and c Siberia to Amurland and Sakhalin, s to n,sc Iran, n Afghanistan, Mongolia and n China.  Africa in Angola, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and S. Africa.

Ciconia abdimii   ABDIM'S STORK.  Savanna and near human habitation.  Senegambia, s Mauritania, s Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, s Niger, Nigeria, n Cameroon, C. Afr. Rep., s Chad, c,s Sudan, w,c Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, ne Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, w Kenya, Tanzania, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa; Yemen in sw Arabia.  Intra-African migrant, breeds in suitable habitat and occurs widely in the non-breeding season.
Ciconia episcopus   WOOLLY-NECKED STORK.  Rivers, lakes, marshes, flooded fields, grasslands. Locally in sw Mali, Senegambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Cameroon, C. Afr. Rep., Chad, se Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, n Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, e Tanzania, Gabon, Congo, Angola, Zambia, n Malawi, n Namibia, n Botswana, se Zimbabwe, ne Mozambique and e S. Africa in e Transvaal, Swaziland and n Natal.  Lowlands to 1400 m from Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and Indochina, exc. extreme n Vietnam; s to Greater Sunda Is. (absent from Borneo and Sulawesi) but present in Peleng, Muna, Butung and Togian islands and the Philippines.

Ciconia stormi   STORM'S STORK.  Swamps, flooded grassy areas.  Locally in lowlands in Thailand, Sumatra incl. Mentawi Is., and Borneo.  Sometimes included in C. episcopus, but their ranges overlap extensively and mixed nesting assemblages are unknown.
Ciconia maguari   MAGUARI STORK.  Marshes, mudflats, savanna.  Lowlands to 500 m e of the Andes from e Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana and Surinam s through Brazil (exc. Amazonia), n,e,se Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay to Argentina s to Chubut.
Ciconia ciconia   WHITE STORK.  Grassland, steppe, savanna, marshes, farms, near human habitation, often nesting on chimneys or roofs.  Formerly more widespread.  Locally in continental Europe e to w Russia and Austria, formerly s Sweden but now absent from Scandinavia; nw Africa from Morocco e to Tunisia, Turkey, Near East, n,c Iraq, w,n Iran, e Transcaucasus, Turkestan, Tadzhikistan, s Tibet and w,ne China.  Sporadically in Kenya, s Zambia, w,c Mozambique, Zimbabwe and S. Africa.

Ciconia boyciana   ORIENTAL STORK.  Open country, forest.  Ne China in Heilungkiang and Kirin, se Siberia in Amurland and Ussuriland, Korea and, formerly, Japan.  Sometimes treated as a race of C. ciconia.
Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus   BLACK-NECKED STORK.  Swamps, rivers, lakes, mangroves.  The two subspecies are sometimes treated as separate species.

E. a. asiaticus  Lowlands in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Burma, nw,c,peninsular Thailand and Indochina (exc. n Vietnam).
 E. a. australis  S New Guinea from Merauke to Port Moreby, breeding between Digul River and Fly River; islands in Torres Strait; and n,e Australia from n W. Australia s to Port Hedland and e to n,e Queensland, s to e New S. Wales to Sydney area.

Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis   SADDLE-BILLED STORK.  Rivers, lakes, swamps.  South of the Sahara in Senegambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea-Bissau, n Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, C. Afr. Rep., s Chad, C. African Rep., s Sudan, n Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, n,e Botswana and e S. Africa in n,e Transvaal and e Natal.
Jabiru mycteria   JABIRU.  Marshes, savanna, lagoons, estuaries.  Locally in lowlands to 500 m in Tabasco, Chiapas, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Belize; and from Honduras and El Salvador s to Panama, and from n,e Colombia, Venezuela and Guianas s, mostly e of the Andes, through e Peru, n,e,se Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay to Uruguay and n Argentina  Vagrant in sc United States.
Leptoptilos javanicus   LESSER ADJUTANT.  Swampy forest, mangroves, estuaries, ponds, lakes, farms.  Locally in lowlands in e,s India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, s China, Hainan I., c,peninsular Thailand, Indochina, Malay Pen., Sumatra, Bangga and Belitung, Java and Borneo.

Leptoptilos crumeniferus   MARABOU STORK.  Savanna, open areas, near human habitation.  Senegambia and s Mauritania, s Mali, Burkina Faso, s Niger, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, C. Afr. Rep., s Chad and s Sudan to Ethiopia, Eritrea  and Somalia, and s to Gabon, Congo, Zaire, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and ne S. Africa in Transvaal and Natal.
Leptoptilos dubius   GREATER ADJUTANT.  Marshes, flooded fields, lakes, open forest.  Lowlands in ne India in Bangladesh, Assam and Orissa, Burma, nw,c,peninsular Thailand and Indochina, exc. ne.

Sibley's Sequence - 24