Ibis

Ibis
Black-headed ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Pelecaniformes
Family:	Threskiornithidae
Subfamily:	Threskiornithinae Poche, 1904
Genera
Threskiornis Pseudibis Thaumatibis Geronticus Nipponia Bostrychia Theristicus Cercibis Mesembrinibis Phimosus Eudocimus Plegadis Lophotibis

The ibis (

Species in taxonomic order

There are 29

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 † extinct ) Black-headed ibis, Threskiornis melanocephalus
	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 (Xenicibis xympithecus) was uniquely characterized by its club-like wings. Extinct ibis species include the following:

• Geronticus perplexus. Discovered in France. It is known only from a piece of distal right humerus, found at Sansan France, in Middle Miocene rocks. It appears to represent an ancient member of the Geronticus lineage, in line with the theory that most living ibis genera seem to have evolved before 15 million years ago (mya).^[11]
• Geronticus apelex. Discovered in South Africa.^[12]
• Geronticus balkanicus. Discovered in Bulgaria.^[13]
• Theristicus wetmorei. Discovered in Peru.
• Eudodmus peruvianus. Discovered in Peru.
• Gerandibis pagana. Discovered in France.^[14] It is the sole species known for this genera.^[15]
• Aptertbis glenos. Discovered in Hawaii.
• Xenicibis xympithecus. Discovered in Jamaica.

Ecology

Habitat

Most ibises are freshwater wetland birds using natural marshes, ponds, lakes, riversides for foraging.^[16] Some ibis species such as the White-faced Ibis,^[17] and Black-headed Ibis^[18] benefit from flooded and irrigated agriculture. The Andean ibis is unusual in being found in high altitude grasslands of South America.^[19] The foraging and nesting behaviour, and fluctuating numbers of the White ibis matches closely with water levels in the Everglades ecosystem leading to its selection as a potential indicator species for the system.^[20] Few ibis species such as the Olive iibis and Green ibis are also found in dense forests. The Llanos grasslands of Venezuela have the highest global ibis diversity with seven species sharing the marshes and grasslands.^[21]

Breeding

Ibises breeding habits are very diverse. Many ibises such as the black-headed Ibis, scarlet ibis, glossy ibis, American white ibis and Australian white ibis breed in large colonies on trees.^[16] Nest trees are located either in large wetlands or in agricultural fields, with many species like the Red-naped Ibis breeding inside cities.^[22] The Australian white ibis also breeds extensively inside cities and has greatly expanded its population.^[23] The White-faced ibis sometimes nests on dry land and on low shrubs in marshes.^[24]

In culture

The

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,^[29] and a lingering religious sentiment in Turkey helped the colonies there to survive long after the demise of the species in Europe.^[30][31]

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.^[32]

The 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

According to Josephus, Moses used the ibis to help him defeat the Ethiopians.[33]

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".^[34] In December 2017, the ibis placed second in Guardian Australia's inaugural Bird of the Year poll, after leading for much of the voting period.^[35][36]

In April 2022, Queensland sports minister

• 
  Black-headed ibis
• 
  Black-headed ibis
• 
  Australian white ibis
• 
  American white ibis
• 
  Scarlet ibis
• 
  Black ibis
• 
  Straw-necked ibis
• 
  Glossy ibis
• 
  Northern bald ibis
• 
  Southern bald ibis
• 
  Spot-breasted ibis
• 
  Hadada ibis

Notes

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pseudibis.

• Ibis videos – at Internet Bird Collection
• "Ibis" .
  New International Encyclopedia
  . 1905.

The dictionary definition of ibis at Wiktionary