Text extracted from Gill B.J.; Bell, B.D.; Chambers, G.K.; Medway, D.G.; Palma, R.L.; Scofield, R.P.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Worthy, T.H. 2010. Checklist of the of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. 4th edition. Wellington, Te Papa Press and Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Pages 156-159.

Order CICONIIFORMES: , and Allies We recognise only herons, ibises and their allies as members of the Ciconiiformes, following Cracraft et al. (2004) who showed that the use of Ciconiiformes to include most of the non-passerines, sensu Sibley & Monroe (1990), is untenable as the taxon is then paraphyletic.

Suborder ARDEAE: Herons, Bitterns and Allies Family ARDEIDAE Leach: Herons and Bitterns Subfamily ARDEINAE Leach: Herons and Ardeidae Leach, 1820: Eleventh room. In Synopsis Contents British Museum 17th Edition, London:69 – Type genus , Linnaeus 1758.

Ardeid is unstable at present. Two major papers (McCracken & Sheldon 1998, Sheldon et al. 2000) showed that traditional arrangements may be flawed, but failed to recommend viable alternatives. The arrangement below reflects recent consensus (Martínez-Vilalta & Motis 1992, Dickinson 2003, Kushlan & Hancock 2005). Casmerodius was formerly regarded as a distinct genus (e.g. Pinto 1938, Hellmayr & Conover 1948, Phelps & Phelps 1958, Meyer de Schauensee 1970, AOU 1983), but morphometrics (Payne & Risley 1976), vocal analyses (McCracken & Sheldon 1997), and genetic data (Sheldon 1987, Sheldon et al. 1995, McCracken & Sheldon 1998) do not support its separation from Ardea. Some classifications (e.g. Blake 1977) have placed Ardea alba in , but we follow Sheldon (1987), Sheldon et al. (1995, 2000), McCracken & Sheldon (1998) and Kushlan & Hancock (2005).

Bubulcus is included in the genus Ardeola Boie, 1822 in some classifications (e.g. Fjeldså & Krabbe 1990), but Wetmore (1965) and Payne & Risley (1976) listed many characters of that differ from those of other species in Ardeola Boie. Payne & Risley (1976) and Payne (1979) merged Bubulcus into Egretta based mainly on morphometric data, and this was followed by Haverschmidt & Mees (1994). Genetic data, however, do not support a close relationship between Bubulcus and Egretta, but suggest a close relationship to Ardea (Sheldon 1987, Sheldon et al. 1995, McCracken & Sheldon 1998, Kushlan & Hancock 2005). Mesophoyx is sometimes placed in Egretta, but, using DNA hybridisation, Sheldon (1987) concluded that it should be included within Ardea. This was followed by Sibley & Monroe (1990), although a phylogenetic analysis of osteology still shows a closer relationship to Egretta (see Sheldon et al. 1995). We follow Kushlan & Hancock (2005) in including A. intermedia within Ardea.

Otago Museum holds a specimen of striated Butorides striata (Linnaeus, 1758) labelled as coming from the Kermadec Islands (Veitch et al. 2004). The provenance of this specimen requires more research before the species can be added to the New Zealand list.

Genus Ardea Linnaeus Ardea Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1(1): 141 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Ardea cinerea Linnaeus. Ardaea Dumont, 1804: in Levrault, Dict. Sci. Nat.: 467. Unjustified emendation. Casmerodius Gloger, 1841: Gemein. Handb. Hilfsb. Naturgesch.: 412 – Type species (by subsequent designation) Ardea egretta Gmelin = Ardea alba Linnaeus. Bubulcus Bonaparte, 1855: Compt. Rend. Séa. Acad. Sci., Paris 40: 722 – Type species (by tautonymy) Ardea “Hasselquist” = Ardea bubulcus Audouin. Cosmerodius Salvadori, 1882: Ornitologia Papuasia Molucche 3: 349. Unjustified emendation. Mesophoyx Sharpe, 1894: Bull. Brit. Ornith. Club 3: 38 – Type species (by original designation) Ardea intermedia Wagler, 1829. Myola Mathews, 1913: Austral Avian Rec. 1: 195 – Type species (by original designation) Ardea pacifica Latham.

Ardea ibis Linnaeus Ardea Ibis Linnaeus, 1758: Syst. Nat., 10th edition 1(1): 144 – Egypt.

Southern Europe, Africa, and Asia. Also in northern South America, North America, and New Zealand. Three subspecies, one in New Zealand.

Ardea ibis coromanda Boddaert Eastern Cancroma Coromanda Boddaert, 1783: Tables des Planches Enluminéez d’Histoire Naturelle de M. d’Aubenton: 54. Based on “Crabier de la côte de Coromandel” in Buffon 1765–81, Hist. Nat. Oiseaux 8: pl. 190 – Coromandel, . Ardea coromandeliensis Stephens, 1819: General Zoology 11: 577. Unjustified emendation. Ardea affinis Horsfield, 1820: Trans. Linn. Soc. London 13: 189 – Java, Indonesia. Ardea Flavirostris Vieillot, 1823: Tableaux Encycl. Méthod. Ornith. 3: 1124. Based on “Crabier de la côte de Coromandel” in Buffon 1765–81, Hist. Nat. Oiseaux 8: pl. 190 – Coromandel, India. Ardea russata Wagler, 1827: Syst. Avium, Ardea: sp. 12 – Australia, and Java, Indonesia. In part. Ardea Caboga Franklin, 1832: Proc. Comm. Sci. Corresp. Zool. Soc. London 2(20): 124 – India. Ardea bubulcus J.E. & G.R. Gray, 1846: Cat. Specimens Drawings Mamm. Birds Nepal Thibet: 134 – Nepal. Ardea coromanda (Boddaert); G.R. Gray 1847, Gen. Birds 3(37): 556. Bubulcus coromandensis Bonaparte, 1855: Consp. Gen. Avium 2: 125. Unjustified emendation. Bubulcus ibis coromandus (Boddaert); Checklist Committee 1970, Annot. Checklist Birds N.Z.: 35. Egretta ibis coromanda (Boddaert); Payne 1979, in Peters Check-list Birds World 1 (2nd edition): 211. Bubulcus ibis; Moore 1999, Notornis 46: 358. Not Ardea ibis Linnaeus, 1758. Ardea ibis coromanda (Boddaert); Kushlan & Hancock 2005, The Herons. Ardeidae: 138.

Throughout South-east Asia, including south China and Japan, and south to Australia since about 1948. In New Zealand, first reported from Moutere, Nelson, in 1956 (Brown 1980). Annual migrant since 1963: north of Christchurch, 1963 (Turbott et al. 1963), 1964 (Turbott 1964); Otago, 1963 (B.E. Kelly in Sibson 1963); Greymouth, 1964 (Grant 1964); Masterton, 1964 (Boeson 1964); and Levin, 1964 (Jones 1964). Coincident with increases in breeding population in Australia, sizeable flocks developed in New Zealand through the 1970s and 1980s. By the mid-1980s, winter counts showed several thousand birds, reappearing annually in many favoured localities from Northland to Southland (Heather 1978, 1982, 1986; Pratt 1979; Jackson & Olsen 1988). At the peak of the irruptions birds were recorded on the Chatham Islands in 1983 (Gaze 1985, Heather 1991) and Kermadec Islands in 1994 (Veitch et al. 2004). Recorded annually during this period on Norfolk Island (Hermes et al. 1986). Occasional to Snares Islands / Tini Heke (Miskelly et al. 2001a). Single record from Macquarie Island in 1975 (Green 1989). Recently, annual flock sizes in New Zealand have declined markedly. Only three records of birds summering in New Zealand (Heather 1978). Reported breeding attempt (Westerskov 1974) now discredited (Heather 1978).

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