Herons and pelicans belong to the same order known as Pelecaniformes, distinguished by their signature throat pouches, dysfunctional slit nostrils, and having a pectinate nail on their longest toe for preening. Spoonbills and ibis are also in this order.
![A group of pipers in Rome. A daguerreotype by Joseph-Philibert Girault de Prangey, 1842. [2880 x 2447]](https://dailyshare.site/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/k5e1di1ectlc1.png)