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The ibis (/ ˈ aɪ b ɪ s /) (collective plural ibises; [1] classical plurals ibides [2] [3] and ibes [3]) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. [4] "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word for this group of birds.
The family Threskiornithidae includes 36 species of large wading birds. The family has been traditionally classified into two subfamilies, the ibises and the spoonbills; however recent genetic studies have cast doubt on this arrangement, and have found the spoonbills to be nested within the Old World ibises, and the New World ibises as an early offshoot.
Egrets (/ ˈ iː ɡ r ə t s / EE-grəts) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build.
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks are mute, but bill-clattering is an important mode of communication at the nest. Their nests can be large and may be reused for many years.
The African spoonbill (Platalea alba) is a long-legged wading bird [2] of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The species is widespread across Africa and Madagascar , including Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Spoonbills are a genus, Platalea, of large, long-legged wading birds. The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus name Platalea derives from Ancient Greek and means "broad", referring to the distinctive shape of the bill. Six species are recognised, which although usually placed in a ...
The term "wader" is used in Europe, while "shorebird" is used in North America, where "wader" may be used instead to refer to long-legged wading birds such as storks and herons. There are about 210 [1] species of wader, most of which live in wetland or coastal environments.
Birders in Canada and the United States refer to several families of long-legged wading birds in semi-aquatic ecosystems as waders.These include the families Phoenicopteridae (flamingos), Ciconiidae (storks), Threskiornithidae (ibises and spoonbills), Ardeidae (herons, egrets, and bitterns), and the extralimital families Scopidae (hamerkop) and Balaenicipitidae (shoebill) of Africa. [1]