Ibis

The ibises (/ˈaɪbɪs/) (collective plural ibis; classical plurals ibides and ibes) 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 (Bubulcus ibis) mistakenly identified in 1757 as being the sacred ibis.

Description

Ibises all have long, downcurved 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.

There are 29 extant species and 4 extinct species of ibis.

Image	Genus	Living species
	Threskiornis G.R. Gray, 1842	African sacred ibis, Threskiornis aethiopicus Malagasy sacred ibis, Threskiornis bernieri Australian white ibis, Threskiornis molucca/moluccus[note 1] Straw-necked ibis, Threskiornis spinicollis †Réunion ibis, Threskiornis solitarius (extinct) Black-headed ibis, Threskiornis melanocephalus
	Pseudibis Hodgson, 1844	Red-naped ibis, Pseudibis papillosa White-shouldered ibis, Pseudibis davisoni Giant ibis, Thaumatibis 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 (Xenicibis xympithecus) 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 indicates 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 Ibis Galleries at Saqqara, archaeologists found the mummies of one and a half million ibises.

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 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 (Hebrew מגלן).

According to Josephus, Moses used the ibis to help him defeat the Ethiopians.

The Australian white ibis has become a focus of art, pop culture and memes since rapidly adapting to city life in recent decades, and has earned the popular nicknames ‘bin chicken’ and ‘tip turkey’.

In April 2022, Queensland sports minister Stirling Hinchliffe suggested the ibis as a potential mascot for the 2032 Olympic Games which are scheduled to be held in Brisbane. Hinchcliffe’s suggestion prompted much discussion in the media.

Gallery

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  Black-headed ibis

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  Black-headed ibis

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  Australian white ibis

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  American white ibis

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  Scarlet ibis

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  Black ibis

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  Straw-necked ibis

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  Glossy ibis

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  Northern bald ibis

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  Southern bald ibis

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  Spot-breasted ibis

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  Hadada ibis