Bird Guide

African Sacred Ibis vs Australian White Ibis

African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)

African Sacred Ibis

Threskiornis aethiopicus

Large1.5 kgWetland

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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Hobbyfotowiki · CC0
Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca)

Australian White Ibis

Threskiornis molucca

Huge1.8 kg

The 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. There is some sexual dimorphism in size, as the slightly heavier male weighs 1.7–2.5 kg (3.7–5.5 lb) compared to the 1.4–1.9 kg (3.1–4.2 lb) female. As a comparison, the American white ibis generally attains 1 kg (2.2 lb) in weight. The body plumage is white, although it may become brown-stained. Inner secondary plumes are displayed as lacy black "tail" feathers.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: James Ray · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: (c) Tim, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tim · cc-by

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: African Sacred Ibis and Australian White Ibis.