From Opus

Includes African Sacred Ibis and Malagasy Sacred Ibis

Threskiornis aethiopicus

Photo by Lee Davis

[edit] Identification

An adult individual is 68 cm long with all-white body plumage apart from dark plumes on the rump. The bald head and neck, thick curved bill and legs are black. The nominate race has brown eyes and the white wings show a black rear border in flight. Sexes are similar, but juveniles have dirty white plumage, a smaller bill and some feathering on the neck.

[edit] Distribution

Sacred Ibis breeds in sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, SE Iraq, and formerly in Egypt, where in ancient times it was venerated and often mummified as a symbol of the god Thoth. It has also been introduced into France, Italy, and Spain.

[edit] Taxonomy

The Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) is a species of wading bird of the ibis family, Threskiornithidae. It was previously considered to be a widespread species, but Australian Ibis and Black-headed Ibis are now considered separate species.

There are two subspecies:

• T. a. aethiopicus of Africa; and
• T. a. bernieri of Madagascar and Aldabra, which is smaller than the nominate, has a smaller bill, little or no black in the wing tips, a white eye and no obvious neck sack. T. a. bernieri also differs from T. a. aethiopicus in being restricted to esturine and coastal habitats.

BirdLife International (2008) and Gill & Wright (2008) split this taxon into two species, African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus and Malagasy Sacred Ibis Threskiornis bernieri.

[edit] Habitat

The Sacred Ibis occurs in marshy wetlands and mud flats, both inland and on the coast. It will also visit cultivation and rubbish dumps.

[edit] Behaviour

The bird nests in tree colonies, often with other large wading birds such as herons. It builds a stick nest, often in a Baobab, and lays 2-3 eggs.

It feeds on various fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as insects. This bird is usually silent, but occasionally makes some croaking noises.

The introduced and rapidly growing populations in southern Europe are seen as a potential problem, since these large predators can devastate breeding colonies of species such as terns. They also compete successfully for nest sites with Cattle and Little Egrets. The adaptable Ibises supplement their diet by feeding at rubbish tips, which helps them to survive the winter in these temperate regions

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2008) The BirdLife checklist of the birds of the world, with conservation status and taxonomic sources. Version 1. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/spe..._Version_1.zip (.xls zipped 1 MB).

Gill F & Wright M (2008) Birds of the World: Recommended English Names. Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 2006. ISBN 9780691128276. Update (2008) downloaded from worldbirdnames.org

[edit] External Links