St. Marks River Fauna 35 



Order Ciconiformes 



Family Ardeidae 



Ardea herodias Linnaeus 



Great Blue Heron 



Material— Cervical vertebrae, USNM210282, 210283, 210285, 



210287; right mandible, USNM210281; mandible fragments, 



USNM210280, 210286, 210288; maxilla fragment, USNM210279; right 



coracoid, USNM210291; right proximal humerus, USNM210289; distal 



tarsometatarsus, USNM210290; right carpometacarpus, USNM210279. 



Remarks — The great blue heron has wide ecological tolerances, 

 occurring in freshwater swamps and riparian habitats as well as 

 saltwater marshes (Sprunt 1954). 



Butorides striatus (Linnaeus) 

 Green-backed Heron 

 Material— Right humerus, USNM209966. 



Remarks — Butorides striatus and B. virescens, sometimes regarded 

 as separate species, are recognized as geographic races of B. striatus 

 by the American Ornithologists Union (1983). It occurs along lake 

 margins, streams, ponds, and freshwater and saltwater marshes (Sprunt 

 1954). 



Egretta caerulea (Linnaeus) 

 Little Blue Heron 

 Material — Mandibular tip with right ramus, USNM209862. 

 Remarks — Freshwater swamps and saltwater marshes are the 

 preferred habitats (Sprunt 1954). 



Family Threskiornithidae 

 Eudocimus albus (Linnaeus) 

 White Ibis 

 Material — Right humerus, USNM209971; left proximal coracoid, 

 USNM209972. 



Remarks — Eudocibus albus is associated with swampy forests, 

 marshy sloughs, and saltwater marshes (Sprunt 1954). 



Order Anseriformes 



Family Anatidae 



Aix sponsa (Linnaeus) 



Wood Duck 



Material— Right carpometacarpus, USNM209931, 209938, 209939, 



209944; left carpometacarpus, USNM209934; right ulna, 



