Hey! We are Oriental White Ibises. We look like the bird, Crane, but we are small and have a characteristic blackhead as you can see. Our population is decreasing year after year, you may or may not see us in the near future. Want to know more?
There are more things to know about me. Have a look!
- You can find us living with a lot of water-loving birds like storks, spoonbills, egrets, etc in various water sources in both urban and rural areas of our range.
- Do you know? We completely submerge in the water with just head and bill partly submerged to explore nutrients in the water.
- Our population is so less right now, 10,000-20,000, nearing us to threatened species.
- Unlike many other water-loving birds, we are very silent and are not aggressive.
SOME QUICK FACTS:
Our Scientific Name: Threskiornis Melanoephalus
Identification: White birds with black head and long, curved beak.
Our Habitat: wetlands, coastal regions, forests, grasslands and other areas where water is available.
Our Range:
Food Habits: Omnivorous, and eat fish, frogs, tadpoles, snails, insects, insect larvae and crustaceans.
Breeding Period: February to June.
Number of eggs laid: 3-5 eggs.
Incubation period: 26-27 days.
Lifespan: 10.1 years
IUCN red list status: Near Threatened.
CITES: not listed
Indian Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule IV
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Threskionithidae
Genus: Threskiornis
Species: T. Melanoephalus
COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT US FOR ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS:
Oriental White Ibis are also called as Black-headed Ibis and Indian White Ibis.They are wading birds and belong to the Ibis family. They are scientifically called as Threskiornis Melanoephalus
How We Look:
We are long birds and have a body length of 65cm-76cm. We weigh around 1kg.
We have a white plumage. Our head is black hence the name Black-headed Ibis. Underparts of our wings have red patches. Our bill is long, curved and black in color.
In breeding season, we grow long plumage on our neck with grey wings. The young of our species has feathered head and neck with patches around the eye.
Both males and females of our species look alike. Young ones look like small adults.
We Are Found In:
We prefer living in wetlands, coastal regions, forests, grasslands and other areas where water is available.
Our range lies in the following countries: India, Pakistan, Nepal, China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and Russia. We are migratory birds and we travel to Japan, Korea, Laos, and Mongolia.
What We Eat:
We are omnivorous birds and our diet includes fish, frogs, tadpoles, snails, insects, insect larvae and crustaceans.
Our Reproduction:
We breed from February to June. We build our shallow cup-shaped nest using sticks, grass, and reeds. This nest is built on trees near the water.
The female lays about 3-5 eggs at a time and incubation period is 26-27 days. The average lifespan of our species is 10.1 years.
More About Us:
We are silent birds and only grunt near our nest.
We are highly social birds and live alongside with storks, spoonbills, egrets, and other Ibises.
We keep our bill partly open while the head stays partly submerged for exploring the mud for nutrients.
We can move actively in water and also can fly at a steady pace.
Our Conservation:
We are listed as “Near Threatened” species in the red list of IUCN and are protected under schedule IV of Indian wildlife protection act, 1972.
This is because of various threats our species has. Since we are species living near water, destruction of our habitat is the main reason for the reduction in our population.
Agriculture, Hunting, Human intrusion, deforestation, and other reasons are also responsible for the decrease in our population. Our population is estimated to be 10,000 to 20,000 birds in our range.
