(Northern Bald) Ibis? Fuerteventura (1 Viewer)

[Carlosson]

Having luckily escaped the pandemic (only 4 active cases in the Pajara region) I was just carrying my luggage across the lower pool area of the Royal Palm Resort at the Playa de Butihondo on Fuerteventura when I was surprised by 3 large birds that suddenly appeared overhead seemingly out of nowhere (probably flying in from the ocean) and then quickly disappeared out of sight to the west.

With my binoculars still in my backpack and my camera out of reach in its bag all I managed to do in that moment (apart from cursing) was to get out my little iPhone to take a silly snapshot.
(I will try to attach it. As it is a “Live”-shot you might be able to hear a bird-call and see a little movement.)

My first thought was: Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) - after all the Moroccan coast is on the other side of the ocean ;-)
What do you see?

 

[njlarsen]

Is there a bird park nearby? they remind me of black-faced or buff-necked ibises, both species from South America.

Niels

 

[RafaelMatias]

They're Hadada Ibises, reported continuously from the area during the last years (eg: https://ebird.org/checklist/S45949525). Escapes.
You may have heard them calling also, their name is onomatopoeic.

 

[Carlosson]

Is there a bird park nearby? they remind me of black-faced or buff-necked ibises, both species from South America.

Niels

Thank you for your thoughts. Well, there is the Oasis Wildlife Park nearby (25 km), but they don’t seem to have birds like that.

 

[Carlosson]

They're Hadada Ibises, reported continuously from the area during the last years (eg: https://ebird.org/checklist/S45949525). Escapes.
You may have heard them calling also, their name is onomatopoeic.

Thank you for your help. That’s (most probably) them. And indeed their calls are very distinctive (though not exactly onomatopoeic to my ears ;-))

 

[jqmhelios]

Having luckily escaped the pandemic (only 4 active cases in the Pajara region) I was just carrying my luggage across the lower pool area of the Royal Palm Resort at the Playa de Butihondo on Fuerteventura when I was surprised by 3 large birds that suddenly appeared overhead seemingly out of nowhere (probably flying in from the ocean) and then quickly disappeared out of sight to the west.

With my binoculars still in my backpack and my camera out of reach in its bag all I managed to do in that moment (apart from cursing) was to get out my little iPhone to take a silly snapshot.
(I will try to attach it. As it is a “Live”-shot you might be able to hear a bird-call and see a little movement.)

My first thought was: Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) - after all the Moroccan coast is on the other side of the ocean ;-)
What do you see?

Definitely not a bald ibis. My first thought was sacred ibis, however the others here are most likely right- I have 0 experience with ibises

 

[Nutcracker]

You may have heard them calling also, their name is onomatopoeic.

Listened to some on xeno-canto . . . wow, are they just noisy!! But they definitely don't say 'hadada', more a shriek than a judder 😮

 

[RafaelMatias]

Listened to some on xeno-canto . . . wow, are they just noisy!! But they definitely don't say 'hadada', more a shriek than a judder 😮

Sounds pretty much close to hadada to me at least as much as it can sound in hadadish language https://www.xeno-canto.org/607477
It's a very characteristic background sound where they occur in Africa

 

[jurek]

There is a zoo on Fuerteventura which seems to be losing birds. Marabou stork, sudan golden sparrow and red-vented bulbuls were also reported in the last years.

 

[dantheman]

Agree - years ago there were always a lot of escaped exotics and free-flying birds around.

 

[Joern Lehmhus]

Ahgree on Hadada Ibis (not that its necessary as they are already identified) , but for comparison:

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/E0GAD7/hadada-ibis-bostrychia-hagedash-two-in-flight-E0GAD7.jpg

Nortehrn Bald Ibis has a fairy different, more slender and longer wing shape and alonger tail

https://www.imago-images.de/bild/st/0062806942/w.jpg

also my parents photographed a Hadada ibis at Fuerteventura last winter, so a few (escapes) seem to be around

 

[miami]

The Ibis and storks etc were let loose when the Stella Canaris resort in Jandia closed down a few years back. The Bulbuls were escapes from Oasis Park near La Lajita, and the Sudan Golden Sparrow was a genuine migrant which may have been ship assisted..