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The ibis () (collective plural ibises; 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 western cattle egret (''Ardea 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''. Beekes, R. S. P. (2009) ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, p. 575. .

Species in taxonomic order

There are 29 extant species and 4 extinct species of 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).
* ''Geronticus apelex''. Discovered in South Africa.
* ''Geronticus balcanicus''. Discovered in Bulgaria.
* ''Theristicus wetmorei''. Discovered in Peru.
* ''Eudodmus peruvianus''. Discovered in Peru.
*''Gerandibis pagana''. Discovered in France. It is the sole species known for this genera.
*''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. Some ibis species such as the white-faced ibis, and black-headed ibis benefit from flooded and irrigated agriculture. The Andean ibis is unusual in being found in high altitude grasslands of South America. 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. Few ibis species such as the olive ibis 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. Multiple ibis species manage to use the same area by exhibiting differences in the habitats used and the prey eaten. In Indian agricultural landscapes, three ibis species manage to live together by altering the habitats they use seasonally with the Black-headed Ibises and Glossy preferring shallow wetlands throughout the year, while the endemic Red-naped Ibises preferred upland areas thereby entirely avoiding potential competitive interactions.

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. Nest trees are located either in large wetlands or in agricultural fields, with many species like the red-naped ibis breeding inside cities. The Australian white ibis also breeds extensively inside cities and has greatly expanded its population. The white-faced ibis sometimes nests on dry land and on low shrubs in marshes.

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, "Dreams of a feathered ''Geronticus''" 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.

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 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 December 2017, the ibis placed second in ''Guardian Australia'' inaugural Bird of the Year poll, after leading for much of the voting period.

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

File:Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus).jpg, Black-headed ibis
File:Blackheadedibis.jpg, Black-headed ibis
File:Australian White Ibis Bird (6603467963).jpg, Australian white ibis
File:White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) RWD2.jpg, American white ibis
File:Eudocimus ruber -Cubatao, Sao Paulo, Brazil -flying-8a.jpg, Scarlet ibis
File:Black Ibis- Hodal I IMG 9701.jpg, Black ibis
File:Threskiornis spinicollis-fragment.jpg, Straw-necked ibis
File:Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) in AP W IMG 3918.jpg, Glossy ibis
File:Waldrapp Geronticus eremita.jpg, Northern bald ibis
File:Southern Bald Ibis (Geronticus calvus) (29865447691).jpg, Southern bald ibis
File:Zwei_Fleckenibisse_in_der_Demokratischen_Republik_Kongo_von_Niklas_Weber,_Version_b.jpg, Spot-breasted ibis
File:Hadada or Hadeda Ibis, Bostrychia hagedash at Borakalalo National Park, South Africa (9868786884).jpg, Hadada ibis
File:White-faced Ibis in Yolo.webm, thumbtime=72, white-faced ibis in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, California

Notes

References

External links

Ibis videos
– at Internet Bird Collection
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Threskiornithidae
Taxa named by Franz Poche
Paraphyletic groups
Pelecaniformes
Thoth