Nyctanassa

See also: Nycticorax

Nyctanassa
Yellow-crowned night heron (N. violacea)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Pelecaniformes
Family:	Ardeidae
Subfamily:	Ardeinae
Genus:	Nyctanassa Stejneger, 1887
Type species
Ardea violacea Linnaeus, 1758
Species
N. violacea †N. carcinocatactes

Nyctanassa is a genus of night herons from the Americas, especially (but not exclusively) warmer coastal regions. They were formerly included in the genus Nycticorax , but today all major authorities recognize them as distinct.

Taxonomy

The genus Nyctanassa was introduced in 1887 by the Norwegian born zoologist Leonhard Stejneger to accommodate a single species, the yellow-crowned night heron, which is therefore the type species. ^{[1] [2]} The genus name combines the Ancient Greek nux meaning "night" with anassa meaning "queen" or "lady". ^[3]

Species

The genus contains the following two species, of which only one is still extant: ^[4]

Image	Scientific name	Common name	Distribution
	Nyctanassa violacea	Yellow-crowned night heron	United States (South Florida, Gulf Coast, and eastern Texas), Mexico, Central America, Galápagos, the Caribbean and northern South America (south to Peru and Brazil)
	Nyctanassa carcinocatactes	Bermuda night heron	Bermuda; extinct

References

1. Stejneger, Leonhard (1887). "Review of Japanese birds: V. Ibises, storks, and herons". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 10 (628): 271–319 [295, Footnote]. doi:10.5479/si.00963801.10-628.271.
2. Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 227.
3. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 277. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
4. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (December 2023). "Ibis, spoonbills, herons, Hamerkop, Shoebill, pelicans". IOC World Bird List Version 14.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 4 August 2024.

Further reading

• "Check-list of North American Birds". American Ornithologists' Union. 1998–2006. Archived from the original on 2007-07-23. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
• Holloway, Joel Ellis (2003). Dictionary of Birds of the United States: Scientific and Common Names. Timber Press. p. 134. ISBN   0-88192-600-0.
• "The Internet Bird Collection". Handbook of the Birds of the World. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
• Peterson, Alan P. (Editor). 1999. Zoological Nomenclature Resource (Zoonomen). Accessed 2007-7-29.
• Remsen, J. V., Jr., C. D. Cadena, A. Jaramillo, M. Nores, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, T. S. Schulenberg, F. G. Stiles, D. F. Stotz, and K. J. Zimmer. [Version 2007-07-29.] A classification of the bird species of South America . American Ornithologists' Union. Accessed 2007-04-10.