HABITAT AND RANGE:
Sacred Ibises live in large colonies
near waterways, shores, and marshes
throughout Africa. Their range begins
south of the Sahara and extends to
Senegal in the west, Ethiopia in the
east, and down to the southern coast.
They may also be found in some areas of
southern Asia.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
The body is white with distinctive black
plumes that form a loose, lace-like net
across the back, closed wings, and tail.
The head and neck are bare and covered
with black, scaly skin, and the beak is
long, slender, and curved. An average
adult stands about 2 feet tall and
weighs about 3 pounds.
ADAPTATIONS:
Their slender curved bills are used to
probe into shallow water, mud, or grass
when foraging. They may also peck for
insects on dry land. Sacred Ibises are
social, feeding in groups and using
communal roosting areas. These roosts
generally include only their own
species, but may also be shared with
storks, herons, spoonbills, or
cormorants.
DIET:
The diet of the Sacred Ibis consists
mainly of aquatic insects, insect larva,
amphibians, and other small aquatic
animals. They will also forage for
insects on dry land.
REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT:
The breeding season of the Sacred Ibis
coincides with the local wet season.
During this time, they move toward the
equator, then ward coasts and
permanent bodies of water in the dry
season. The male gathers materials while
the female builds the nest. The clutch
size is generally 2-5 eggs, with an
incubation period of 28-29 days. Both
sexes assist with incubation and care of
the young. The young leave the nest when
they are 2-3 weeks old and assemble
themselves into groups. They fledge at
35-40 days of age, and leave the colony
at 35-48 days.
SPECIAL:
In ancient Egyptian societies, the
Sacred Ibis was worshipped as the god
Thoth, the god of learning and inventor
of writing. The birds were often
mummified and buried in the tombs of
pharaohs, assuring them intelligent
guidance in the netherworld. The
reasoning for this worship of the Sacred
Ibis may be because the flocks arrived
in Egypt with the annual rising and
flooding of the Nile, which was itself a
symbol of rebirth. Ibises also
fearlessly devoured scorpions and snakes
and were believed to be magically immune
to the bites of these animals. The black
and white plumage was probably also a
factor, as the black feathers symbolized
night or death, and the white feathers
symbolized the light of the sun or life.
Sacred Ibises are still respected today,
as they help control pests in
agricultural crops. They are, however,
very rare in modern Egypt.
