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African Sacred Ibis

Threskiornis aethiopicus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesWetlandPlatform nestLarge · 1.5 kg
African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus), photo 1
Photo: Hobbyfotowiki · CC0
African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus), photo 2
Photo: TRinaud · CC BY 4.0
African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus), photo 3
Photo: Drcbrothephotographer · CC BY 4.0
African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus), photo 4
Photo: This image was produced by me, David Castor (user:dcastor). The pictures I submit to the Wikipedia Project are released to the public domain. This gives you the right to use them in any way you like, without any kind of notification. This said, I would still appreciate to be mentioned as the originator whenever you think it complies well with your use of the picture. A message to me about how it has been used would also be welcome. You are obviously not required to respond to these wishes of mine, just in a friendly manner encouraged to. (All my photos are placed in Category:Images by David Castor or a subcategory thereof.) · CC0
African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus), photo 5
Photo: Cliff from I now live in Arlington, VA (Outside Washington DC), USA · CC BY 2.0
African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus), photo 6
Photo: Daniel Aufgang · CC BY 3.0
African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus), photo 7
Photo: domdomegg · CC BY 4.0
African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus), photo 8
Photo: stuart Burns from Erith, England · CC BY 2.0

ID tip

An adult individual is 68 cm (27 in) long with all-white body plumage apart from dark plumes on the rump. Wingspan is 112 to 124 cm (44 to 49 in) and body weight 1.35 to 1.5 kg (3.0 to 3.3 lb). Males are generally slightly larger than females. The bald head and neck, thick curved bill and legs are black. The white wings show a black rear border in flight. The eyes are brown with a dark red orbital ring. Sexes are similar, but juveniles have dirty white plumage, a smaller bill and some feathering on the neck, greenish-brown scapulars and more black on the primary coverts.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the African Sacred Ibis

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is January, the month with the most records.

Where to see the African Sacred Ibis

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 54 countries with regular records, and 13 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

South Africa Taiwan Kenya Tanzania Italy Botswana Zimbabwe France Uganda Ethiopia United Arab Emirates Zambia Rwanda Namibia Mozambique Gambia Senegal Spain Eswatini Germany Malawi Lesotho Djibouti Oman Guinea-Bissau Thailand Congo - Kinshasa Angola Chad Cameroon Slovenia Somalia Israel South Sudan Sudan Bahrain Switzerland Portugal Qatar Nigeria Benin Austria Eritrea Niger Mauritania Czechia Burundi Gabon Yemen Guinea Iran Singapore Central African Republic Croatia

Recorded as a rare visitor in Belgium, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Netherlands, Poland, Burkina Faso, Greece, Australia, Mali, Mayotte, Denmark, Ireland.

About the African Sacred Ibis

The African sacred ibis is a species of ibis, a wading bird of the family Threskiornithidae. It is native to much of Africa, as well as small parts of Iraq, Iran and Kuwait. It is especially known for its role in Ancient Egyptian religion, where it was linked to the god Thoth. The species is currently extirpated from Egypt.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) Straw-necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollisStraw-necked ibises are large birds, around 59–76 cm (23–30 in) long, with a bare black head and a long, downcurved black bill. Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) Black-headed IbisThreskiornis melanocephalusThe black-headed ibis is one of several large waterbird species in south and south-east Asia, with adults measuring 65–76 cm in length. Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca) Australian White IbisThreskiornis moluccaThe Australian white ibis is a fairly large ibis species, around 65–75 cm (26–30 in) long and has a bald black head and neck and a long black downcurved beak, measuring over 16.7 cm (6.6 in) in the male, and under in the female.

Side by side: African Sacred Ibis vs Australian White Ibis · African Sacred Ibis vs Straw-necked Ibis · African Sacred Ibis vs Black-headed Ibis

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