Purple Heron

SCI Name:  Ardea purpurea
Protonym:  Ardea purpurea Syst.Nat.ed.12 ed.12 p.236
Taxonomy:  Pelecaniformes / Ardeidae / Ardea
Taxonomy Code:  purher1
Type Locality:  'in Oriente''; restricted to France by Stresemann, 1920, Avifauna Macedonica, p. 226.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1766
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

ARDEA
(Ardeidae; Ϯ Grey Heron A. cinerea) L. ardea  heron. In Roman myth. the town of Ardea, capital of the Rutuli, was razed to the ground, and from the ashes rose a pale, lean bird, shaking the cinders from its wings and uttering mournful cries; "76. ARDEA.  Rostrum rectum, acutum, longum, subcompressum, sulco e naribus, versus apicem exaratum.  Pedes tetradactyli." (Linnaeus 1758); "Ardea Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, p. 141. Type, by subsequent designation (G. R. Gray, 1840, List Gen. Birds, p. 60), Ardea cinerea Linnaeus." (Payne in Peters, 1979, I, ed. 2, p. 195). Linnaeus's Ardea comprised nineteen species (A. pavonina, A. Virgo, A. canadensis, A. Grus, A. americana, A. Antigone, A. Ciconia, A. nigra, A. Nycticorax, A. cinerea, A. Herodias, A. violacea, A. cærulea, A. striata, A. virescens, A. stellaris, A. alba, A. Ibis, A. æquinoctialis).
Var. Ardaea, Ardeae, Ardua.   
Synon. Afrardea, Ardeomega, Audubonia, Casmerodius, Erodius, Herodias, Megerodius, Mesophoyx, Myola, Phoyx, Pyrrherodia, Tonophoyx, Typhon.

purpurea
L. purpureus  purple-coloured  < purpura  purple  < Gr. πορφυρα porphura  purple.
● ex “Héron pourpré” and “Crabier marron” of Brisson 1760 (Ardea).
● ex “Martin-pêcheur de Pondichéry” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 778, fig. 2, “Martin-pêcheur pourpré” of de Buffon 1770-1786, and “Purple Kingsfisher” of Latham 1782 (syn. Ceyx erithaca).
● ex “Purple Finch” of Catesby 1731, Latham 1783, and Pennant 1785, “Pyrrhula carolinensis violacea” of Brisson 1760, and “Bouvreuil violet de la Caroline” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (Haemorhous).
● ex “Quachilto” of Willughby 1676 and Ray 1713, “Acintli” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Crowing Gallinule” of Latham 1785 (syn. Porphyrula martinica).
● ex “Hirundo purpurea. Purple Martin” of Catesby 1731 (syn. Progne subis) .
● ex “Purple Pigeon” of Brown 1776, and of Latham 1783 (syn. Treron vernans).

SUBSPECIES

Purple Heron (Bourne's)
SCI Name: Ardea purpurea bournei
bournei
Dr William Richmond Postle Bourne (b. 1930) Royal Navy surgeon,  ornithologist, collector in the Cape Verde Islands 1951 (subsp. Ardea purpurea).

Purple Heron (Purple)
SCI Name: Ardea purpurea [purpurea Group]
ARDEA
(Ardeidae; Ϯ Grey Heron A. cinerea) L. ardea  heron. In Roman myth. the town of Ardea, capital of the Rutuli, was razed to the ground, and from the ashes rose a pale, lean bird, shaking the cinders from its wings and uttering mournful cries; "76. ARDEA.  Rostrum rectum, acutum, longum, subcompressum, sulco e naribus, versus apicem exaratum.  Pedes tetradactyli." (Linnaeus 1758); "Ardea Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, p. 141. Type, by subsequent designation (G. R. Gray, 1840, List Gen. Birds, p. 60), Ardea cinerea Linnaeus." (Payne in Peters, 1979, I, ed. 2, p. 195). Linnaeus's Ardea comprised nineteen species (A. pavonina, A. Virgo, A. canadensis, A. Grus, A. americana, A. Antigone, A. Ciconia, A. nigra, A. Nycticorax, A. cinerea, A. Herodias, A. violacea, A. cærulea, A. striata, A. virescens, A. stellaris, A. alba, A. Ibis, A. æquinoctialis).
Var. Ardaea, Ardeae, Ardua.   
Synon. Afrardea, Ardeomega, Audubonia, Casmerodius, Erodius, Herodias, Megerodius, Mesophoyx, Myola, Phoyx, Pyrrherodia, Tonophoyx, Typhon.