Demoiselle Crane

SCI Name:  Anthropoides virgo
Protonym:  Ardea Virgo Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.141
Taxonomy:  Gruiformes / Gruidae / Anthropoides
Taxonomy Code:  demcra1
Type Locality:  ' In Oriente '' = India.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ANTHROPOIDES
(Gruidae; Ϯ Demoiselle Crane A. virgo) Gr. ανθρωπος anthrōpos  woman; -οιδης -oidēs  resembling; “This Bird is called Demoiselles by reason of certain ways of acting that it has, wherein it seems to imitate the Gestures of a Woman who affects a Grace in her Walking, Obeisances, and Dancing. This resemblance must be thought to have some reasonable Ground, seeing that for above two thousand Years the Authors who have treated of this Bird have designed it by this Particularity of the Imitation of the Gestures and Behaviour of Men. Aristotle gives to it the Name of Actor or Comedian” (Albin 1738); "230. ANTHROPOÏDE, Anthropoïdes.  Ardea, Lin. Gm. Lath.  Bec à peine plus long que la tête, entier, sillonné en dessus. — Tête totalement emplumée ou nue seulement sur les tempes.  2 sections.  Esp. Demoiselle. — Oiseau royal, Buff." (Vieillot 1816); “On compare sa marche, ses postures et ses gestes aux danses des Bohémiennes.” (Vieillot 1825); "Anthropoïdes Vieillot, Analyse, 1816, p. 59. Type, by monotypy, Demoiselle of Buffon = Ardea virgo Linné." (Peters, 1934, II, p. 153).  
Var. Antropoides.
Synon. Geranarchus, Geranus, Numidica, Philorchemon, Scops, Tetrapteryx.

virgo
L. virgo, virginis  maiden.
● "76. ARDEA.  ...  Virgo.  2. A. superciliis albis retrorsum longe cristatis.  Virgo numidica. Edw. av. 134. t. 134. Dodart. mem. 3. p. 1.  Grus numidica. Alb. av. 3. p. 78. t. 83.  Habitat in Oriente.  Corpus magnitudine Ciconiæ cæruleo-cinereum; capite collo remigibusque primariis nigris. Pennæ paleares nigræ pendulæ. Oculi rubri pupilla cinerea. Pone oculos utrinque crista pennacea recurvata longa alba." (Linnaeus 1758) (Anthropoides).