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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
ibis |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Aves |
| ORDER: |
Ciconiiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Threskiornithidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Roughly
25 species |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Birds
in this order have spindly legs, long necks, and
long bills. Ibises tend to have slender, down-curved
bills. |
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| SIZE: |
White
ibises (Eudocimus albus) are about 58-69
cm (23-27 in.) tall, with a wingspan of 97 cm (38
in.). The giant ibis (Thaumatibis gigantean)
is 102-106 cm (40 -42 in.) tall. |
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| WEIGHT: |
The
white ibis weighs approximately 1.35 kg (3 lb.). |
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| DIET: |
The
hermit ibis (Geronticus eremita) inhabits
the drier areas of North Africa and the Middle East
and feeds on beetles and other small animals. White
ibises eat fishes, insects, aquatic invertebrates,
small snakes, and plant matter. Other types of ibises
may eat seeds, fruits, mollusks, and frogs. |
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| INCUBATION: |
Most
ibises prefer to nest in trees. Exceptions include
the hermit ibis, which nests on cliffs, and the
sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopica), which
build their nests on the ground. Black ibises (Pseudibis
papillosa) may be found in groups of only 2-3
when they nest while the sacred ibis may form huge
breeding colonies of more than 10,000 individuals.
Ibises may share their colony sites with other birds
including herons and egrets. White ibises lay 2-5
eggs during nesting season. The eggs take about
21-23 days to incubate. The young fledge in approximately
28-35 days. 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. |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
Approximately
4-5 years; juvenile white ibises are brown until
maturity |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 20 years |
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| HABITAT: |
Ibises
generally live in tropical shores, marshes, mudflats
and lakes |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
2
species listed as Endangered |
| CITES |
7
species of ibis listed |
| USFWS |
9
species listed; 4 species Critically Endangered
and 1 as Extinct |
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| 1. |
Ibises
have curved, slender bills that they use to probe
into shallow water, mud or grass when foraging.
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| 2. |
Ibises
are gregarious birds that live, travel and breed
in flocks. In flight, they 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. |
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| 3. |
These are rather quiet birds, only grunting or croaking
on breeding grounds. |
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| 4. |
Ibises
are an ancient species with fossil records going
back 60 million years. |
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Habitat
destruction, poaching, and insecticide use such
as DDT have all caused the decline of several
ibis species.
Ibises
are not only scavengers at rubbish dumps or sewage
works, but also move around croplands helping
egrets and others to rid the area of insect pests.
The adaptability of the ibis to many different
food sources ensures its success as a species.
Because
of their role in helping to control crop pests,
ibises are very valuable to farmers. However,
agricultural pesticide usage has endangered the
birds in several locations.
In
ancient Egypt, the sacred ibis was once held in
high reverence. Thoth, the Egyptian god of knowledge,
was believed to take the form of an ibis. In honor
of Thoth, thousands of sacred ibises were mummified
and kept in Egyptian temples as pets. Ironically,
habitat destruction has depleted the sacred ibis
in Egypt today.
Humans
are the primary threat to these birds, not only
by habitat encroachment but also from hunting.
Scarlet ibises (Eudocimus ruber), for example,
are hunted for their vivid red plumage despite
the fact that they are the national bird of Trinidad.
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| Gotch,
A.F. Birds - Their Latin Names Explained.
Poole, Dorst: Blandford Press, 1981. |
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|
Perrins,
Dr. Christopher. Birds: Their Life, Their Ways,
Their World. New York: The Reader's Digest
Association, Inc. 1979.
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| http://www.birdlife.org/ |
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| Chaffee
Zoological Gardens of Fresno. www.chaffeezoo.org/zoo/animals/ |
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| http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/ |
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