Belongs within: Aequornithia.
The Threskiornithidae, ibises and spoonbills, are long-legged and -billed wading birds that generally feed on small invertebrates. Synapomorphies of the group include a schizorhinal beak with the proximal part of the maxilla dorsoventrally high below the narial openings, and at least three thoracic vertebrae fused to a notarium (Mayr 2002). Previous authors have recognised the ibises, with downcurved bills, as a separate subfamily (Threskiornithinae) from the spoonbills (Plataleinae) with straight and distinctly spatulate bills; however, the former may be paraphyletic to the latter. The Middle Eocene Rhynchaeites messelensis has a decurved beak like modern ibises but differs from crown-group threskiornithids in its relatively short tarsometatarsus and deeply excavated facies articularis scapularis on the coracoid (Mayr 2002).
The Old World spoonbills of the genus Platalea are mostly white in colouration whereas the roseate spoonbill Ajaja ajaja of the Americas is extensively coloured with pink. Among the ibises, the type genus Threskiornis includes the sacred ibises, a cluster of species with white plumage and featherless black heads and necks (T. aethiopicus, T. bernieri, T. melanocephalus and T. molucca). Authors differ on whether these should be treated as separate species or geographic races of a single species. The straw-necked ibis T. spinicollis has a bare head but long white feathers on the neck and a dark metallic wings and back. The glossy ibises of the genus Plegadis have largely reddish-brown bodies and green wings. The bald ibises of the genus Geronticus, found in western Eurasia and Africa, have dark plumage and bare, reddish heads. The South American Theristicus species have buff heads and necks with grey wings and backs.
<==Threskiornithidae [Ibididae, Ibidinae, Plataleidae, Plegadidae, Threskiornithes, Threskiornithoidea]
|--Rhynchaeites Wittich 1899Ma02 [incl. Plumumida Hoch 1980Ml02; RhychaeitinaeMa02]
| `--*R. messelensis Wittich 1898Ml02, Ma02 [incl. *Plumumida lutetialis Hoch 1980Ml02]
`--Threskiornithinae [Plataleinae]Ma02
|--+--Eudocimus Wagler 1832BKB15, B94 [Eudociminae]
| | |--E. albusBKB15 [=Guara albusRN72a, Ibis albusB94]
| | `--E. ruberBKB15 [=Guara ruberRN72a, Ibis rubraB66, I. rubusB94]
| `--TheristicusBKB15
| |--T. branickiiAP21
| |--T. caerulescensBKB15
| |--T. caudatusBKB15
| |--T. hagedashK08
| `--T. melanopisAP21
`--+--+--Phimosus Wagler 1832BKB15, B94 [Phimosinae]
| | `--P. infuscatusBKB15
| `--Geronticus Wagler 1832JT12, Ml02 [Geronticinae]
| |--G. apelex Olson 1985B93
| |--G. calvusJT12
| |--G. eremita (Linnaeus 1758)S05 (see below for synonymy)
| |--G. olivaceusD66
| |--G. perplexus (Milne-Edwards 1869) [=Ardea perplexa, Proardea perplexa]Ml02
| `--G. spinicollisScl66
`--+--Plegadis Kaup 1829BKB15, CC10 (see below for synonymy)
| | i. s.: ‘Falcinellus’ igneusB90
| | P. paganus (Milne-Edwards 1868) (see below for synonymy)Ml02
| |--P. ridgwayiJT12
| `--+--*P. falcinellus (Linnaeus 1766)CC10, JT12, CC10 (see below for synonymy)
| `--P. chihiJT12
`--+--Nipponia nippon (Temminck 1835)BKB15, I92
`--+--Platalea Linnaeus 1758BKB15, CC10 [incl. Platibis Bonaparte 1855CC10, Spatherodia Reichenbach 1852CC10]
| |--*P. leucorodia Linnaeus 1758CC10, Ml02
| | |--P. l. leucorodiaCS77
| | |--P. l. archeri Neumann 1928CS77
| | `--P. l. balsaci de Naurois & Roux 1974CS77
| |--P. ajaja Linnaeus 1758AP21, L58
| |--P. alba Scopoli 1786AP21, PB96
| |--P. flavipes Gould 1838 [=*Platibis flavipes]CC10
| |--P. minor Temminch & Schlegel 1849AP21, I92
| |--P. regia Gould 1838 (see below for synonymy)CC10
| `--P. telfairiSch66
`--Threskiornis Gray 1842JT12, CC10 (see below for synonymy)
|--*T. aethiopicus (Latham 1790)B94 [=Tantalus aethiopicusCC10, *Ibis aethiopicusB94]
|--T. bernieriJT12
| |--T. b. bernieriHSS13
| `--T. b. abbottiHSS13
|--T. melanocephalus (Latham 1790)I92
|--T. molucca (Cuvier 1829)CC10 [=Ibis moluccaCC10, T. aethiopicus moluccusS90]
| |--T. m. moluccaCC10
| |--T. m. pygmaeus Mayr 1931PB96
| `--T. m. strictipennis (Gould 1838) (see below for synonymy)CC10
|--T. solitariusHSS13
`--T. spinicollis (Jameson 1835) (see below for synonymy)CC10
Threskiornithidae incertae sedis:
Ajaja ajajaFP64
BostrychiaJT12
|--B. bocageiJT12
|--B. carunculata (Rüppell 1837) [=Ibis carunculata]S05
|--B. hagedashJT12
|--B. olivaceaJT12
`--B. raraJT12
Comatibus eremitaRN72b
Thaumatibis giganteaJT12
PseudibisJT12
|--P. davisoniJT12 [=P. papillosa davisoniSU93]
|--P. giganteaAP21
`--P. papillosaJT12
Hagedashia hagedashM03
|--H. h. hagedashPB27
`--H. h. niloticaPB27
Lophotibis cristataJT12
HarpiprionEA06
|--H. caerulescensEA06
`--H. cayennensisS18 [incl. Falcinellus ordiF43, Ibis ordiF43]
Borbonibis latipesFS01
Protibis cnemialis Ameghino 1891A94
Cercibis oxycercaJT12
Mesembrinibis cayennensisJT12
Actiornis Lydekker 1891M09, Ml02
`--*A. anglicus Lydekker 1891Ml02
Minggangia changgouensis Hou 1982M09
Geronticus eremita (Linnaeus 1758)S05 [=Upupa eremitaMl02; incl. G. balcanicus Boev 1998Ml02, Ibis comata Rüppell 1837 (n. n.)S05, G. comatus Rüppell 1845S05]
Platalea regia Gould 1838 [=P. leucorodia regia, Spatherodia regia; incl. P. intermedia Ogilvie-Grant 1889, Ardea latirostrum Ellman 1861, P. melanorhynchos Reichenbach 1845, P. melanorhyncha, *Spatherodia melanorhynchus, P. regia stalkeri Mathews 1912]CC10
Plegadis Kaup 1829BKB15, CC10 [=Plegadornis Brehm 1855CC10, Tantalides Wagler 1832CC10; incl. Egatheus Lönnberg 1906 non Billberg 1828CC10, Falcinellus Vieillot 1816B94, Milnea Lydekker 1891 non Reichenbach 1866Ml02; Falcinellinae, Plegadinae]
*Plegadis falcinellus (Linnaeus 1766)CC10, JT12, CC10 [=Tantalus falcinellusCC10, Ibis falcinellusB90, *Plegadornis falcinellusCC10, *Tantalides falcinellusCC10; incl. *Egatheus autumnalisCC10, Ibis peregrina Bonaparte 1855CC10, Plegadis falcinellus peregrinusCC10, P. falcinellus rogersi Mathews 1916CC10]
Plegadis paganus (Milne-Edwards 1868) [=Ibis pagana, Actiornis pagana, Eudocimus paganus; incl. *Milnea gracilis Lydekker 1891]Ml02
Threskiornis Gray 1842JT12, CC10 [=Ibis Cuvier 1816 non Lacépède 1799B94; incl. Carphibis Reichenbach 1853CC10, Setibis Bonaparte 1856CC10]
Threskiornis molucca strictipennis (Gould 1838) [=Ibis strictipennis, I. molucca strictipennis, T. aethiopica strictipennis]CC10
Threskiornis spinicollis (Jameson 1835) [=Ibis spinicollis, *Carphibis spinicollis, *Setibis spinicollis; incl. I. australis Jardine & Selby 1837, C. spinicollis fitzroi Mathews 1912, I. lamellicollis Lafresnaye 1836]CC10
*Type species of generic name indicated
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