Sacred ibis
The sacred ibis is a large wading bird notable for its white body adorned with blue-black tail feathers, gray or black legs, neck, and head, and a distinctive long, sharp, downward-curving bill. Standing up to 27 inches tall and weighing between 3 to 3.5 pounds, this bird is known for its role in ancient Egyptian culture, where it was revered as a representation of the god Thoth, associated with learning and wisdom. Although now extinct in Egypt, the sacred ibis continues to thrive in sub-Saharan Africa, where it forages for food such as invertebrates, mollusks, frogs, and carrion along riverbanks.
These social birds nest in large colonies, typically in trees or bushes, and their breeding season lasts from March to August. Males arrive first at breeding sites, followed by females, and both parents share the responsibility of incubating eggs and caring for the young. After a brief period of parental care, the chicks become independent and leave the nest. The sacred ibis has a notable wingspan of 44 to 49 inches and displays bright red plumage during flight in mating season. Their lifespan can reach up to 21 years in the wild.
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Sacred ibis
The sacred ibis is a large wading bird that feeds in rivers and lakes. Ancient Egyptians worshipped a god named Djhowety, also called Thoth, the god of learning, magic, and wisdom represented by the sacred ibis, the long-legged bird that was common along the banks of the Nile River. They painted its images on tomb walls. Because the Egyptians thought of the bird as holy, it became known as the sacred ibis.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Threskiornithidae
Genus: Threskiornis
Species: Aethiopicus
The sacred ibis has a large, white body with blue-black plumes for tail feathers. The bird's legs, neck, and head are gray or black. No feathers grow on its head and neck. The ibis is up to 27 inches (68 centimeters) tall and has a pointed, sharp, downward-curving bill that is several inches (centimeters) long. These birds weigh 3 to 3 1/2 pounds (1 1/3 to 1 1/2 kilograms).
The ibis is extinct in Egypt but still lives across sub-Saharan Africa. Flocks of ibises feed during the day and roost at night along the muddy banks of rivers, lakes, and swamps. The sacred ibises eat a wide variety of foods. As the birds wade through the shallow water, they probe the mud with their long bills in search of invertebrates, or creatures without backbones. Other prey from the mud are mollusks, crustaceans, frogs, and dead fish. They also snatch worms, locusts, spiders, grasshoppers, and insect larvae from the shore. At other times they may eat reptiles, small birds, birds' eggs, and carrion, or dead animal flesh. Since they do not have feathers on their necks or heads, the birds do not get blood in their feathers when they are scavenging on carrion. The food search may take the flock miles from their roosting sites.
The sacred ibises are social birds that nest in large colonies. They do not migrate like other birds between breeding grounds and winter ranges. They fly between feeding sites or may move to avoid the rainy season in some parts of the continent. Their wingspan is between 44 and 49 inches (110 and 125 centimeters). In flight during the mating season, bright red plumage is visible on the undersides of their wings.
Breeding season begins in March and ends in August. The males arrive at the breeding grounds first, and the females arrive a couple of days later. Large colonies of 100 pairs may occupy the same small breeding ground and build their nests close together. Nest sites are in trees or flat-topped bushes or on the ground among rocks. Each female lays two to five eggs in a nest of rushes, twigs, and grass. Both parents take turns sitting on the greenish-white eggs, which hatch after 21 to 29 days of incubation. After 44 to 48 days of feeding and care by their parents, the young may leave the nest for the first time. Their parents feed them a few more days, and then the young are independent. Each male and female mate for only one breeding season before they separate.
The oldest recorded life span of a sacred ibis is 21 years.
Bibliography
"Ibis." A-Z Animals, 6 Apr. 2023, a-z-animals.com/animals/ibis. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.
Ramsey, Charlie. "Threskiornis Aethiopicus." Animal Diversity Web, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Threskiornis‗aethiopicus. Accessed 15 Apr. 2024.