| |
|
|
| |
| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
|
| COMMON
NAME: |
sacred
ibis |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Ciconiiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Threskiornithidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Threskiornis
(religious bird) aethiopicus (belonging to
Ethiopia) |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| DESCRIPTION: |
The
sacred ibis is mostly white with a black head and
neck and some black plumes in the tail. It has a
long, slender, down-curved, black bill. The legs
are long with partially webbed feet. |
|
| SIZE: |
Approximately
75 cm (30 in.); wingspan 30 cm (1ft.) |
|
| WEIGHT: |
Approximately
1.35 kg (3 lb.) |
|
| DIET: |
Feeds
on small animals, vertebrates, and invertebrates;
including grasshoppers, locusts, insects and insect-larvae,
amphibians, and other small aquatic animals. |
|
| INCUBATION: |
28-29 days |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
3-5 eggs |
| FLEDGING
DURATION |
39-45 days |
|
| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
4-5 years |
|
| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 20 years |
|
| RANGE: |
Africa
south of the Sahara and Madagascar |
|
| HABITAT: |
Inhabits
marshes and shores |
|
| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
|
| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Appendix
III |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| 1. |
Sacred
ibis live in large colonies near waterways throughout
Africa. |
|
|
| 2. |
Ibises have curved, slender bills that they use
to probe into shallow water, mud or grass when foraging. |
|
|
| 3. |
This is a gregarious bird, living, traveling, and
breeding in flocks. In flight, ibises form diagonal
lines or v-formations. This formation decreases
wind resistance for trailing birds. When the leader
of the pack tires, it falls to the back of the formation
and another ibis takes its place at the front. |
|
|
| 4. |
Ibises
are rather quiet birds, only grunting or a croaking
on breeding grounds. |
|
|
| 5. |
In
ancient Egyptian societies, the sacred ibis was
worshipped as the god Thoth and was supposed to
preserve the country from plagues and serpents.
The birds were often mummified and then buried with
pharaohs. |
|
|
| 6. |
Both
the male and female take turns in guarding the nest
site until the chicks are large enough to defend
themselves. In addition, both parents help feed
the chicks. |
|
|
| 7. |
Ibises
are an ancient species with fossil records going
back 60 million years. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
The sacred ibis, so important in ancient Egyptian
culture, is now extinct in Egypt. Habitat destruction,
poaching, and insecticide use such as DDT have all
caused the decline of several ibis species.
These birds are not only scavengers, seen around
rubbish dumps or sewage works, but they also move
around croplands helping egrets and others to rid
the area of insect pests. Its adaptability to several
food sources ensures its success as a species.
Because of their role in helping to control crop
pests, they are very valuable to farmers. However,
agricultural pesticides usage has endangered the
birds in several locations. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Gotch, A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained.
Poole, Dorst: Blandford Press, 1981. |
|
|
Perrins, C. Birds: Their Life, their Ways, their
World. New York: The Reader's Digest Association,
Inc. 1979. |
|
|
Chaffee Zoological Gardens of Fresno.
www.chaffeezoo.org/zoo/animals/scrdibis.html
|
|
|
|
|
|
