Ibis


The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains. "Ibis" derives from the Latin and Ancient Greek word for this group of birds. It also occurs in the scientific name of the cattle egret mistakenly identified in 1757 as being the sacred ibis.

Description

Ibises all have long, down-curved bills, and usually feed as a group, probing mud for food items, usually crustaceans. They are monogamous and highly territorial while nesting and feeding. Most nest in trees, often with spoonbills or herons. All extant species are capable of flight, but two extinct genera were flightless, namely the kiwi-like Apteribis in the Hawaiian Islands, and the peculiar Xenicibis in Jamaica. The word ibis comes from Latin ibis from Greek ἶβις ibis from Egyptian hb, hīb.

Species in taxonomic order

There are 28 extant species and 6 extinct species of ibis.
ImageGenusLiving Species
Threskiornis G.R. Gray, 1842
Pseudibis Hodgson, 1844
  • Red-naped ibis, Pseudibis papillosa
  • White-shouldered ibis, Pseudibis davisoni
  • Giant ibis, Pseudibis gigantea
    • Geronticus Wagler, 1832
  • Northern bald ibis, Geronticus eremita
  • Southern bald ibis, Geronticus calvus
    • Nipponia Reichenbach, 1850
  • Crested ibis, Nipponia nippon
    • Bostrychia G.R. Gray, 1847
  • Olive ibis, Bostrychia olivacea
  • São Tomé ibis, Bostrychia bocagei
  • Spot-breasted ibis, Bostrychia rara
  • Hadada ibis, Bostrychia hagedash
  • Wattled ibis, Bostrychia carunculata
    • Theristicus Wagler, 1832
  • Plumbeous ibis, Theristicus caerulescens
  • Buff-necked ibis, Theristicus caudatus
  • Black-faced ibis, Theristicus melanopis
  • Andean ibis, Theristicus branickii
    • Cercibis Wagler, 1832
  • Sharp-tailed ibis, Cercibis oxycerca
    • Mesembrinibis J.L. Peters, 1930
  • Green ibis, Mesembrinibis cayennensis
    • Phimosus Wagler, 1832
  • Bare-faced ibis, Phimosus infuscatus
    • Eudocimus Wagler, 1832
  • American white ibis, Eudocimus albus
  • Scarlet ibis, Eudocimus ruber
    • Plegadis Kaup, 1829
  • Glossy ibis, Plegadis falcinellus
  • White-faced ibis, Plegadis chihi
  • Puna ibis, Plegadis ridgwayi
    • Lophotibis L. Reichenbach, 1853
  • Madagascar ibis, Lophotibis cristata
    • † Apteribis Olson & Wetmore, 1976
  • †A. glenos Olson & Wetmore, 1976 Molokai flightless ibis
  • †A. brevis Olson & James, 1991 Maui flightless ibis
    • An extinct species, the Jamaican ibis or clubbed-wing ibis was uniquely characterized by its club-like wings.

    In culture

    The African sacred ibis was an object of religious veneration in ancient Egypt, particularly associated with the deity Djehuty or otherwise commonly referred to in Greek as Thoth. He is responsible for writing, mathematics, measurement and time as well as the moon and magic. In artworks of the Late Period of Ancient Egypt, Thoth is popularly depicted as an ibis-headed man in the act of writing. However, Mitogenomic diversity in sacred ibis mummies indicate that ancient Egyptians captured the birds from the wild rather than farming them.
    At the town of Hermopolis, ibises were reared specifically for sacrificial purposes and in the serapeum at Saqqara, archaeologists found the mummies of one and a half million ibises and hundreds of thousands of falcons.
    According to local legend in the Birecik area, the northern bald ibis was one of the first birds that Noah released from the Ark as a symbol of fertility, and a lingering religious sentiment in Turkey helped the colonies there to survive long after the demise of the species in Europe.
    The mascot of the University of Miami is an American white ibis named Sebastian. The ibis was selected as the school mascot because of its legendary bravery during hurricanes. According to legend, the ibis is the last sign of wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane hits and the first to reappear once the storm has passed.
    Harvard University's humor magazine, Harvard Lampoon, uses the ibis as its symbol. A copper statue of an ibis is prominently displayed on the roof of the Harvard Lampoon Building at 44 Bow Street.
    A short story "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst uses the red bird as foreshadowing for a character's death and as the primary symbol.
    The African sacred ibis is the unit symbol of the Israeli Special Forces unit known as Unit 212 or Maglan.
    According to Josephus, Moses used the ibis to help him defeat the Ethiopians.

    Gallery