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Ardeidae

Bird Families

Ardeidae is the family of herons, egrets and bitterns, long-legged and long-necked freshwater and coastal birds now placed in the order Pelecaniformes after being reclassified from Ciconiiformes in 2008. The family contains 75 recognized species across 18 extant genera and occurs worldwide on every continent except Antarctica, avoiding only extreme Arctic regions, high mountains and deserts. Its members are distinguished by their ability to retract their necks into a tight S shape in flight, a trait unusual among long-necked birds, and by bills ranging from narrow to broad and plumage typically in blue, black, brown, grey or white.

Facts
Classification
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Taxonomic Rank
Family 1
Connections

Parent Taxon Of

Source Eurasian bittern (Wikidata)
Goliath heron, Species
Source Goliath heron (Wikidata)
Grey heron, Species
Source Grey heron (Wikidata)
Snowy Egret, Species
Source Snowy Egret (Wikidata)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Heron
Wikipedia
  • Ardeidae: present tense, 75 recognised species
  • Introduction
    Herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 75 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons.
View the Source
Wikidata: Ardeidae
Wikidata Q18789, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
Snowy Egret (Wikidata)
WikidataParent Taxon Of: Snowy Egret, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Eurasian bittern (Wikidata)
WikidataParent Taxon Of: Eurasian bittern, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Grey heron (Wikidata)
WikidataParent Taxon Of: Grey heron, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Goliath heron (Wikidata)
WikidataParent Taxon Of: Goliath heron, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
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