General
The following is based on analysis of dictionaries and other sources. Comments and corrections welcome. Malaysian names are now being updated. For consistency, Vietnamese bird names (except for ducks and chickens) are preceded by the word Chim meaning 'bird'. Ornithological lists mostly omit this as understood. Hover over Green Lettering to see additional information.
The storks are generally known in Vietnamese as Cò, a word that covers not only the storks but also a range of long-legged, long-necked wading birds of similar appearance, including most of the herons (except the great herons) and the ibises.
Other terms referring specifically to the storks are Khàng , Khoang and Giang.
The storks are also known as Chim hạc, derived from Chinese 鶴 meaning 'crane'. Indeed, Hạc also retains the meaning 'crane' in Vietnamese.
The adjutants are known as Chim già đẩy.
Ornithological naming
The ciconiids are named as follows by ornithologists:
Vietnamese names | Description | Genera |
Cò | Storks | Mycteria, Anastomus, Ephippiorhynchus |
Hạc | Storks | Ciconia |
Già đẩy | Adjutants | Leptoptilos |
The name Hạc (originally used for the cranes) is applied by ornithologists only to the genus Ciconia, which in turn gives its name to the family.
The name Cò is used not only for the storks, but also for many of the Ardeidae (herons) and the Threskiornithidae (ibises and spoonbills).
USE OF Cò IN OTHER FAMILIES | ||||
Name | Family | Subfamily | Description | Genera |
Cò | Ardeidae | Botaurinae | Bitterns | Ixobrychus, Dupetor |
Ardeinae | Night herons | Gorsachius -- alternative name | ||
Small Herons | Butorides, Ardeola | |||
Egrets | Bubulcus, Egretta, Ardea alba | |||
Cò quăm | Threskiornithidae | Threskiornithinae | Ibises | Threskiornis, Pseudibis, Plegadis |
Cò thìa | Threskiornithidae | Plataleinae | Spoonbills | Platalea |
Chữ Nôm
The characters used for ciconiids in the now obsolete Chữ Nôm characters include:
Name | Chữ Nôm Images from the Vietnamese Nôm Preservation Foundation dictionary. (Errors are the sole responsibility of the author of this site) |
Cò | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Hạc | ![]() |
Species names
SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN |
VIETNAMESE |
EAST ASIAN |
S. E. ASIAN |
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Leptoptilos | ||||||||
Latin |
English/French |
Vietnamese |
Other V |
Chinese |
Japanese |
Thai |
Malaysian |
Indonesian |
Leptoptilos dubius![]() |
Greater adjutant Greater adjutant stork Marabout argala |
Chim Già đẩy lớn 'large gia day bird' (12, 13, 34) |
Chim Giang 'giang bird' Chim Hạc già đẩy 'gia day stork (bird)' |
大秃鹳 (大禿鸛) 'large bald stork' |
オオハゲコウ (大禿鸛) ō hage kō 'large bald stork' |
นกตะกราม nók tà-kraam 'glutton bird' |
Burung Botak Besar 'large bald-bird' (24) Burung Botak Babi Besar 'large pig bald-bird' (25) |
Burung Bangau Besar 'large stork (bird)' |
Leptoptilos javanicus![]() ![]() |
Lesser adjutant Lesser adjutant stork Marabout chevelu |
Chim Già đẩy Java 'Javanese gia day bird' (12, 13, 34) |
秃鹳 (禿鸛) 'bald stork' |
コハゲコウ (小禿鸛) ko hage-kō 'small bald stork' |
นกตะกรุม nók tà-krum 'glutton bird' |
Burung Botak 'bald-bird' (old, 26, alt in 28) Burung Upih Botak 'bald (stork) bird' (28) Burung Babi 'pig bird' (old) Burung Botak Babi 'pig bald-bird' (old, 25) Burung Botak Kecil 'small bald-bird' (24) |
Burung Bangau 'stork (bird)' (29) Burung Bangau Tongtong 'handbell stork (bird)' Burung Bluwok Tongtong 'handbell stork (bird)' (30) |
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Mycteria | ||||||||
Latin |
English/French |
Vietnamese |
Other V |
Chinese |
Japanese |
Thai |
Malaysian |
Indonesian |
Mycteria cinerea![]() ![]() |
Milky stork Tantale blanc |
Chim Cò lạo xám 'grey lao stork (bird)' (12, 13, 34) |
白鹮鹳 (白䴉鸛) 'white ibis-stork' (4) 灰鹮鹳 (灰䴉鸛) 'grey ibis-stork' (5) |
シロトキコウ (白朱鷺鸛) shiro toki kō 'white ibis-stork' |
นกกระสาปากเหลือง nók krà-săa pàak-lĕuaŋ 'yellow-billed largewader (bird)' |
Burung Upih 'stork (bird)' (old) (name shared with Mycteria leucocephala) Burung Botak Upih 'stork bald-bird' (24, 25) Burung Upih Bakau 'mangrove stork (bird)' (26, 28) |
Burung Bluwok 'stork (bird)' (old) Burung Blao 'stork (bird)' (29) Burung Wilwo 'stork (bird)' Burung Bangau Bluwok 'stork stork (bird)' (30) Burung Walang Kada 'kada grasshopper bird' (alt in 29) |
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Mycteria leucocephala Mycteria leucocephalus ![]() |
Painted stork Tantale indien |
Chim Cò lạo Ấn Độ 'Indian lao stork (bird)' (12, 13, 34) or Giang sen 'lotus? giang' (34) |
白头鹮鹳 (白頭䴉鸛) 'white-headed ibis-stork' |
インドトキコウ (インド朱鷺鸛) indo toki kō 'Indian ibis-stork' |
นกกาบบัว nók kàap-bua 'lotus-bract bird' |
Burung Upih 'stork (bird)' (old) (name shared with Mycteria cinerea) Burung Upih Sawah 'wet-field stork (bird)' (26, 28) Burung Botak Padi 'paddy bald-bird' (24, 25) |
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Anastomus | ||||||||
Latin |
English/French |
Vietnamese |
Other V |
Chinese |
Japanese |
Thai |
Malaysian |
Indonesian |
Anastomus oscitans![]() ![]() |
Asian openbill Asian open-bill stork Bec-ouvert indien |
Chim Cò nhạn 'swallow stork (bird)' (12, 13, 34) or Cò ốc 'snail stork (bird)' (12, 13) |
钳嘴鹳 (鉗嘴鸛) 'pincer-billed ibis-stork' |
スキハシコウ (隙嘴鸛) suki-hashi kō 'open-bill stork' |
นกปากห่าง nók pàak-hàaŋ 'gap-billed bird' |
Burung Upih Paruh Sepit 'pincer-billed stork (bird)' (28) Burung Botak Siput 'snail bald-bird' (25) Burung Botak Asia 'Asian bald-bird' (24) |
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Ciconia | ||||||||
Latin |
English/French |
Vietnamese |
Other V |
Chinese |
Japanese |
Thai |
Malaysian |
Indonesian |
Ciconia nigra![]() ![]() |
Black stork Cigogne noire |
Chim Hạc đen 'black crane (bird)' (12, 13, 34) |
黑鹳 (黑鸛) 'black stork' Taiwan: (黑鹳) 黑鸛 'black stork' |
ナベコウ (鍋鸛) nabe-kō 'pot stork' |
นกกระสาดำ nók krà-săa dam 'black largewader (bird)' |
Burung Botak Hitam 'black bald-bird' (24) |
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Ciconia episcopus![]() ![]() |
Woolly-necked stork Cigogne épiscopale |
Chim Hạc cổ trắng 'white-necked crane (bird)' (12, 13, 34) |
白颈鹳 (白頸鸛) 'white-necked stork' |
エンビコウ (燕尾鸛) enbi-kō 'swallow-tail stork' |
นกกระสาคอขาว nók krà-săa kʰoaa-kʰăaw 'white-necked largewader (bird)' |
Burung Upih Leher Putih 'white-necked stork (bird)' (26, 28) Burung Botak Leher Putih 'white-necked bald-bird' (24, 24a) (shared with Ciconia stormi) Burung Botak Padang 'field bald-bird' (25) |
Burung Sandang Lawe 'yarn/wool-clothed bird' (conflicts with Mycteria cinerea) (old, 29) Burung Bangau Sandang-lawe 'yarn/wool-clothed stork (bird)' (30) |
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Ephippiorhynchus | ||||||||
Latin |
English/French |
Vietnamese |
Other V |
Chinese |
Japanese |
Thai |
Malaysian |
Indonesian |
Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus Xenorhynchus asiaticus ![]() ![]() |
Black-necked stork Jabiru d'Asie |
Chim Cò Á châu 'Asian stork (bird)' (12) |
Chim Cò mỏ cong châu Á 'curve-billed Asian stork (bird)' (34) Chim Cò cổ trắng 'white-necked stork (bird)' (34) |
黑颈鹳 (黑頸鸛) 'black-necked stork' |
セイタカコウ (背高鸛) sei-taka kō 'tall stork' |
นกกระสาคอดำ nók krà-săa kʰoaa-dam 'black-necked largewader (bird)' |
Burung Botak Leher Hitam 'black-necked bald-bird' (24) |
Burung Bangau Leher-hitam 'black-necked stork (bird)' |
Burung ruak-ruak (written variously as ruak-ruak, ruk-ruk, rok-rok, etc.) is also one of the names for white-breasted waterhen, Amaurornis phoenicurus (Rallidae). The name is akin to roko-roko 'glossy ibis', Plegadis falcinellus (Threskiornithidae).
Merabu is borrowed from a Western colonial language (compare Portuguese 'marabu', Dutch 'maraboe', English 'marabou'). In modern English usage 'marabou' is restricted to the African species, Leptoptilos crumeniferus. However, as still in the other Western languages, it formerly referred to any of the Leptoptilos adjutants.