kingdom: Animalia >
phylum: Chordata >
subphylum: Vertebrata >
infraphylum: Gnathostomata >
parvphylum: Osteichthyes >
megaclass: Tetrapoda >
class: Aves >
order: Pelecaniformes >
family: Ardeidae Leach, 1820 >
genus: Ardea Linnaeus, 1758 >
species: Ardea purpurea Linnaeus, 1766 >
Africa