NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
African Woolly-necked Stork
Ciconia microscelis G. R. Gray, 1848
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The African woolly-necked stork or African woollyneck (Ciconia microscelis) is a species of large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds singly, or in small loose colonies. It is distributed in a wide variety of habitats including marshes in forests, agricultural areas, and freshwater wetlands across Africa.
Wikipedia contributors, African woolly-necked stork; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:49:25.874505+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ciconia microscelis G. R. Gray, 1848
- Name authority
- G. R. Gray, 1848
- Common name
- African Woolly-necked Stork
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Ciconiiformes
- Family
- Ciconiidae
- Genus
- Ciconia
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderCiconiiformes
- familyCiconiidae Sundevall, 1836
- genusCiconia Brisson, 1760
- speciesCiconia microscelis G. R. Gray, 1848
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ciconia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Black StorkCiconia nigra (Linnaeus, 1758) | CiconiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Abdim's StorkCiconia abdimii M. H. C. Lichtenstein, 1823 | CiconiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Storm's StorkCiconia stormi (W. Blasius, 1896) | CiconiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Oriental StorkCiconia boyciana Swinhoe, 1873 | CiconiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White StorkCiconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) | CiconiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Asian Woolly-necked StorkCiconia episcopus (Boddaert, 1783) | CiconiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Maguari StorkCiconia maguari (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | CiconiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Ciconia episcopus microscelis G. R. Gray, 1848 G. R. Gray, 1848 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Gray, & George Robert. (1848). The Genera of Birds: Comprising Their Generic Characters, a Notice of the Habits of Each Genus, and an Extensive List of Species Referred to Their Several Genera, Vol. 3, Part 43. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:DDF2C. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.