NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Humblot's Heron
Ardea humbloti Milne-Edwards & A. Grandidier, 1885
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
Humblot's heron (Ardea humbloti), also known as the Madagascar heron, is a species of heron. It is commonly found on the north and west coasts of Madagascar but it is also present in the Comoro Islands and Mayotte. Humblot's heron is considered an endangered species due to its declining population. The major threats the heron faces are poaching, habitat destruction, and the invasion of alien species such as the water hyacinth.
Wikipedia contributors, Humblot's heron; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:45:24.557408+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Ardea humbloti Milne-Edwards & A. Grandidier, 1885
- Name authority
- Milne-Edwards & A. Grandidier, 1885
- Common name
- Humblot's Heron
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Ardeidae
- Genus
- Ardea
- 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
- orderPelecaniformes
- familyArdeidae Leach, 1820
- genusArdea Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesArdea humbloti Milne-Edwards & A. Grandidier, 1885
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Ardea. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow-billed EgretArdea brachyrhyncha (A. E. Brehm, 1854) | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Western Cattle EgretArdea ibis Linnaeus, 1758 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Medium EgretArdea intermedia Wagler, 1829 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Great EgretArdea alba Linnaeus, 1758 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Great Blue HeronArdea herodias Linnaeus, 1758 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-headed HeronArdea melanocephala Children & Vigors, 1826 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-necked HeronArdea pacifica Latham, 1801 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Purple HeronArdea purpurea Linnaeus, 1766 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Great-billed HeronArdea sumatrana Raffles, 1822 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Goliath HeronArdea goliath Cretzschmar, 1829 | ArdeidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
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.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=174785 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:GCHX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.