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| Waders (American) | |
|---|---|
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| Great egret (Ardea alba) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Infraclass: | Neognathae |
| Clade: | Neoaves |
| Groups included | |
Birders in Canada and the United States refer to several families of long-leggedwading birds in semi-aquatic ecosystems aswaders. These include the familiesPhoenicopteridae (flamingos),Ciconiidae (storks),Threskiornithidae (ibises and spoonbills),Ardeidae (herons, egrets, and bitterns), and the extralimital familiesScopidae (hamerkop) andBalaenicipitidae (shoebill) of Africa.[1] Elsewhere in the world, the word refers to what North Americans call a "shorebird", various families of the orderCharadriiformes.[1][2] In the past all of these families were classified in the orderCiconiiformes based on overall similarity in anatomy and ecology, as well as some molecular data.[3][4] However recent genomic studies have found that this group to bepolyphyletic, with flamingos being more closely related togrebes while ibises, herons, the hamerkop and the shoebill are more closely related topelicans.[5][6] As a result of these changes flamingos are placed in their own orderPhoenicopteriformes and Ciconiiformes are solely restricted to the storks. The rest of the waders have been reclassified into the orderPelecaniformes.[7]
In some field guides, the familiesGruidae (cranes) andAramidae (limpkin) are also considered to be waders too. However unlike the previously mentioned families, cranes and the limpkin were never thought to be closely related to the heron-like birds and have always been classified as members of the orderGruiformes.[8]
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