Birds of Vietnam, Bird Species in Vietnam

Long-tailed minivet in Vietnam

Let's join AdventureGreen on our bird quests to learn about the different birds and bird species in Vietnam. Here you can find out more about the birding spots that these bird species are found.

Botaurus is a genus of bitterns, a group of wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae. 

1/  Eurasian bittern or great bittern (Vạc rạ, Botaurus stellaris)
The species name stellaris is Latin for "starred", from stella, "star", and refers to the speckled plumage.

Below species were merged into this genus from the genus Ixobrychus.
2/ Black bittern (Cò hương, Botaurus flavicollis) 
3/ Cinnamon bittern (Cò lửa, Botaurus cinnamomeus) or chestnut bittern
4/ Yellow bittern (Cò lửa lùn, Botaurus sinensis)
5/ Von Schrenck's bittern or Schrenck's bittern (Cò nâu, Botaurus eurhythmus)

Pelecaniformes, Pelecanus: Greek pelekan, pelekanos pelican.
Ardeidae, Ardea: Latin word meaning "heron".
The genus name Botaurus is derived from Medieval Latin butaurus, Bos (ox) and taurus (bull), because the bittern's call resembles the bellowing of a bull.

Black-crowned night-heron 
(Vạc, Nycticorax nycticorax), or black-capped night-heron, commonly shortened to just night-heron

The black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, including parts of Europe, Asia, and North and South America.


The name Nycticorax means "night raven" originating from the Ancient Greek: nuktos "night" and korax, "raven". 
the night herons of the genera Nyctanassa and Gorsachius were formerly placed in Nycticorax.

Nycticorax is a genus of night herons. The name Nycticorax means "night raven" originating from the Ancient Greek: nuktos "night" and korax, "raven". 
the night herons of the genera Nyctanassa and Gorsachius were formerly placed in Nycticorax.

1/ Black-crowned night-heron (Vạc, Nycticorax nycticorax), or black-capped night-heron, commonly shortened to just night-heron

Striated heron (Cò xanh, Butorides striata) also known as mangrove heron, little green heron or green-backed heron

The striated heron (Butorides striata) also known as mangrove heron or little green heron, is a small heron in the heron family Ardeidae.

Ardeidae, Ardea: the Latin word ardea meaning "heron".
Butorides is a genus of small herons in the family Ardeidae. Butorides is from Middle English Butor "bittern" and Ancient Greek -oides, "resembling".
"Striata" is a Latin word striatus meaning "striped," "grooved," or "lined". It originates from the Latin word \(stria\), which means "furrow" or "channel". The term is frequently used in scientific names, particularly in biology and botany, to describe the appearance of something with lines or stripes. 

Butorides is a genus of small herons in the family Ardeidae. Butorides is from Middle English Butor "bittern" and Ancient Greek -oides, "resembling".
It contains three similar species which were formerly considered one species:
-the green heron or green-backed heron, Butorides virescens;
- the lava heron (Butorides sundevalli);
- and the striated heron, Butorides striatus.

1/ Striated heron (Cò xanh, Butorides striata) also known as mangrove heron, little green heron or green-backed heron

Malayan night heron 
(Cò tôm, vạc rừng, Gorsachius melanolophus), also known as Malaysian night heron and tiger bittern

The Malayan night heron (Gorsachius melanolophus), also known as Malaysian night heron and tiger bittern, is in the heron family Ardeidae and is distributed in southern and eastern Asia.
The bird species is found in India, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan.

Ardeidae, Ardea: the Latin word ardea meaning "heron".
Gorsachius: not clear as to the origin of the word.
Melanolophus is a combination of the Greek words melas (meaning "black") and lophos (meaning "crest"). Therefore, the name literally translates to "black crest" and is used for species with a black crest, such as the Malayan night heron, which is often called Gorsachius melanolophus. 

Gorsachius is a genus of Old World night herons typically found near water in forested regions.

1/ Malayan night heron (Cò tôm, vạc rừng, Gorsachius melanolophus), also known as Malaysian night heron and tiger bittern
2/ White-eared night heron (Vạc hoa, Gorsachius magnificus)
other scientific names: Oroanassa magnifica, Nycticorax magnificus

Eastern cattle egret (Ardea coromanda)
Formerly belonging to the genus Bubulcus:  Eastern cattle egret (Cò ruồi, Bubulcus coromandus)
The epithet coromanda refers to the Coromandel Coast of India.

The eastern cattle egret (Ardea coromanda) is a species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones. 

Western cattle egret (Ardea ibis)
Formerly belonging to the genus Bubulcus.

The western cattle egret (Ardea ibis) is a species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones.
The bird was originally native to parts of Asia, Africa and Europe; nowadays its distribution has expanded to much of the rest of the world.

The genus name comes from the Latin word ardea meaning "heron".
The word "ibis" comes from the Latin and Ancient Greek word for this group of long-legged birds. While Latin gives us the direct word "ibis," it is originally derived from the Ancient Greek word îbis, which in turn came from the Egyptian word hbj. Therefore, in Latin, the meaning is directly "ibis," while in Greek, it is the same word îbis which refers to the bird. 

Purple heron (Diệc lửa, Ardea purpurea) 

The purple heron (Ardea purpurea) is a wide-ranging heron species. 
The bird breeds in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Palearctic.

The genus name comes from the Latin word ardea meaning "heron".
The specific epithet comes from Latin purpureus, "coloured purple".

Great-billed heron (Diệc Sumatra, Ardea sumatrana)

The great-billed heron (Ardea sumatrana) is a wading bird of the heron family, resident from southeast Asia to Papua New Guinea and Australia.

The genus name comes from the Latin word ardea meaning "heron".

The cattle egret (Bubulcus) is a cosmopolitan genus of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones.

The below two species have been moved to the genus Ardea. There is no more bird species in the genus Bubulcus

The genus contains two species: the western cattle egret and the eastern cattle egret. Some authorities regard them as a single species. 

1/ Western cattle egret (Cò ruồi, Bubulcus ibis)

2/ Eastern cattle egret (Cò ruồi, Bubulcus coromandus)

The genus name Bubulcus is Latin for herdsman, referring to this species' association with cattle. 

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