BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA 233 



Family EURYPYGIDAE : Sun-bitterns 



=Euripygidae Bon^^jpabte, Consp. Gen. Av., ii, 1857 [1855], 144. 



=Euripyginae Bonaparte, Consp. Gen. Av., ii, 1857 [1855], 144. 



=Eurypygifii« Sclatee and Salvin, Nom. Av. Neotr., 1873, viii, 141. — Ridgway, 

 Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr., iv, 1878, 221, 222 (characters).— Stejneger, 

 Stand. Nat. Hist., 1885, 116 in text.— Shakpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xxiii, 

 1894, xii, 240; Hand-list, i, 1899, xvii, 181. — Beddard, Struct, and Classif. 

 Birds, 1898, 377. — Salvin and Godman, Biol. Ceutr.-Amer., Aves, iii, 1903, 

 334.— Knowlton, Birds of World, 1909, 49, 347. 



=Eurypygidae Furbringer, Unters. Morph. Sy^^t. Vog., 1888, 1196. — Gadow, in 

 Bronn's Thier Reichs Vog., ii, 1891, 190, 300; Classif. Vertebr., 18GS, ;J5.— 

 Wetmore, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., Ixxvi, art. 24, 1930, 4 ; Smiths. Misc. Coll., 

 Ixxxix, No. 13, 1934, 6 ; xcix. No. 7, 1940, 6.— Peters, Check-list Birds of World, 

 ii, 1934, 214. 



This being the only family in the suborder Eurypygae, the characters 

 are the same as those of the latter, as given in the pages immediately 

 preceding. 



Genus EURYPYGA Illiger 



Eurypyga Illiger, Prodr. Orn., 1811, 257. (Type, by monotypy, Ardea lielias 



Pallas.) 

 Ewipyga (emendation) Bonaparte, Consp. Gen. Av., ii, 1857 [1855], 144. 

 Euripygia (emendation) Des Muks, in Chenu, Encycl. Hist. Nat. Ois., vi, 1854, 



243. 

 Eurypiga (emendation) DuMont, Diet. Sci. Nat, xix, 1821, 474. 

 Eurypigia (emendation) Des Murs, in Chenu, Encycl. Hist. Nat. Ois., vi, 1854, 



223. 

 Eurypygia (emendation) Swainson, Classif. Birds, ii, 1837, 359. 

 (?) Helias Rafinesque, Analyse, 1815, 71. {Nomen nudum.) 

 Helias Vieillot, Analyse, 1816, 56. (Type, by monotypy, "Caurale, Buff[on]" 



= Ardea helias Pallas.) 

 ? Omelias Rafinesque, Analyse, 1815, 219. (New name for Helias Rafinesque.) 



The genus Eurypyga being the only representative of the family, its 

 characters are, of course, the same as those given under family Eury- 

 pygidae. In addition, however, the following may be mentioned : 



Rather small, semi-arboreal wading birds with rather long and 

 very thin neck, large wings and tail (the latter fan-shaped) and plum- 

 age handsomely variegated with gray, brown, chestnut, buif, black, 

 and white, in the form of mottlings, bars, and bands, the variegation 

 especially conspicuous on primaries and rectrices. 



Bill as long as or longer than head, compressed, straight, slightly 

 contracted, vertically, for basal half but with upper and lower out- 

 lines parallel and straight, the terminal half of culmen moderately 

 but decidedly convex, the gonys faintly convex except, sometimes, 

 terminally, and more or less prominent basally; tip of maxilla 

 slightly uncinate, with a distinct subterminal notch; nasal fossae 

 long and relatively broad, extending for two-thirds, or more, the 



