Ibis Explained

The ibis (collective plural ibises;[1] classical plurals ibides[2] and ibes[3]) are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae that inhabit wetlands, forests and plains.[4] "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 (Bubulcus ibis) mistakenly identified in 1757 as being the sacred ibis.[5]

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.[4] 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.[4] The word ibis comes from Latin ibis[6] from Greek ἶβις ibis from Egyptian hb, hīb.[7]

Species in taxonomic order

There are 29 extant species and 4 extinct species of ibis.

Image Genus Living species
Threskiornis
Pseudibis
Geronticus
Nipponia
Bostrychia
Theristicus
Cercibis
Mesembrinibis
Phimosus
Eudocimus
  • American white ibis, Eudocimus albus
  • Scarlet ibis, Eudocimus ruber
Plegadis
Lophotibis
† Apteribis
  • †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:

Ecology

Habitat

Most ibises are freshwater wetland birds using natural marshes, ponds, lakes, riversides for foraging.[13] Some ibis species such as the White-faced Ibis,[14] and Black-headed Ibis[15] benefit from flooded and irrigated agriculture. The Andean ibis is unusual in being found in high altitude grasslands of South America.[16] 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.[17] 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.[18]

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.[19] The Australian white ibis also breeds extensively inside cities and has greatly expanded its population.[20] The White-faced ibis sometimes nests on dry land and on low shrubs in marshes.[21]

In culture

The African sacred ibis was an object of religious veneration in ancient Egypt,[22] 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.[23] In artworks of the Late Period of Ancient Egypt, Thoth is popularly depicted as an ibis-headed man in the act of writing.[23] However, Mitogenomic diversity in sacred ibis mummies indicates that ancient Egyptians captured the birds from the wild rather than farming them.[24]

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.[25]

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,[26] and a lingering religious sentiment in Turkey helped the colonies there to survive long after the demise of the species in Europe.[27] [28]

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.[29]

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.[30]

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".[31] In December 2017, the ibis placed second in Guardian Australia inaugural Bird of the Year poll, after leading for much of the voting period.[32] [33]

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.[34] Hinchcliffe's suggestion prompted much discussion in the media.[35] [36] [37]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ibis. Dictionary.com Unabridged. 6 October 2009.
  2. Book: The Stanford dictionary of Anglicised words and phrases . Fennell, C. A. M. . 1892 . Cambridge University Press . Cambridge. 1354115 . 453 . 6 October 2009.
  3. Book: Pierce, Robert Morris . Dictionary of Hard Words . 1910. Dodd, Mead & Company . New York. 4177508. 270. 6 October 2009.
  4. Longrich . N. R. . Olson . S. L. . The bizarre wing of the Jamaican flightless ibis Xenicibis xympithecus: a unique vertebrate adaptation . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences . 5 January 2011 . 278 . 1716 . 2333–2337 . 10.1098/rspb.2010.2117 . 21208965 . 3119002.
  5. Book: Jobling, James A . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 201.
  6. "ibis". Chambers Dictionary.
  7. [Robert S. P. Beekes|Beekes, R. S. P.]
  8. Book: Mlíkovský, Jirí . Cenozoic Birds of the World (Part 1: Europe) . 2002 . Ninox Press, Prague . 80-901105-3-3 . en.
  9. Olson . S. L. . 1985 . Early Pliocene ibises (Aves, Plataleidae) from south-western Cape Province, South Africa . Annals of the South African Museum . 97 . 3 . 57–69.
  10. Boev . Zlatozar . 1998 . Presence of Bald Ibises (Geronticus Wagler, 1832) (Threskionithidae - Aves) in the Late Pliocene of Bulgaria . Geologica Balcanica . 28 . 1–2 . 45–52. 10.52321/GeolBalc.28.1-2.45 .
  11. Olson . Storrs L. . 1981 . The generic allocation of Ibis pagana Milne-Edwards, with a review of fossil ibises (Aves: Threskiornithidae) . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . en . 1 . 2 . 165–170 . 10.1080/02724634.1981.10011888 . 1981JVPal...1..165O . 0272-4634.
  12. De Pietri . Vanesa L. . 2013 . Collinson . Martin . Interrelationships of the Threskiornithidae and the phylogenetic position of the Miocene ibis ' Plegadis ' paganus from the Saint-Gérand-le-Puy area in central France . Ibis . en . 155 . 3 . 544–560 . 10.1111/ibi.12062.
  13. Book: Hancock . James A. . Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills of the World . Kushlan . James A. . Kahl . M. Philip . 1992 . Academic Press, London.
  14. Moulton . Colleen E. . Carlisle . Jay D. . Knetter . Sonya J. . Brenner . Kathryn . Cavallaro . Robert A. . 2022 . Importance of flood irrigation for foraging colonial waterbirds . The Journal of Wildlife Management . en . 86 . 7 . 10.1002/jwmg.22288 . 2022JWMan..86E2288M . 0022-541X. free .
  15. Sundar . K. S. Gopi . 2006 . https://doi.org/10.1675/1524-4695(2006)29[365:FSDAHS2.0.CO;2 Flock Size, Density and Habitat Selection of Four Large Waterbirds Species in an Agricultural Landscape in Uttar Pradesh, India: Implications for Management ]. Waterbirds . 29 . 3 . 365–374 . 10.1675/1524-4695(2006)29[365:FSDAHS]2.0.CO;2 . 1524-4695.
  16. Luzuriaga-Neira . Nivia . Ennis . Keenan . Moens . Michaël A. J. . Leon . Jose . Reyes . Nathaly . Luzuriaga-Neira . Agusto . Rau . Jaime R. . Rojas-VeraPinto . Roxana . 2023 . The Andean Ibis (Theristicus branickii) in South America: potential distribution, presence in protected areas and anthropic threats . PeerJ . en . 11 . e16533 . 10.7717/peerj.16533 . free . 2167-8359 . 10720468 . 38099301.
  17. Frederick . Peter . Gawlik . Dale E. . Ogden . John C. . Cook . Mark I. . Lusk . Michael . 2009 . The White Ibis and Wood Stork as indicators for restoration of the everglades ecosystem . Ecological Indicators . Indicators for Everglades Restoration . 9 . 6, Supplement . S83–S95 . 10.1016/j.ecolind.2008.10.012 . 2009EcInd...9..S83F . 1470-160X.
  18. Frederick . Peter C. . Bildstein . Keith L. . 1992 . Foraging ecology of seven species of neotropical ibises (Threskiornithidae) during the dry season in the Llanos of Venezuela . The Wilson Bulletin . 104 . 1 . 1–21.
  19. Mehta . Kanishka . Koli . Vijay K. . Kittur . Swati . Gopi Sundar . K. S. . 2024 . Can you nest where you roost? Waterbirds use different sites but similar cues to locate roosting and breeding sites in a small Indian city . Urban Ecosystems . 27 . 4 . 1279–1290 . en . 10.1007/s11252-023-01454-5 . 2024UrbEc.tmp...13M . 1573-1642.
  20. Martin . John . French . Kris . Major . Richard . 2010 . Population and breeding trends of an urban coloniser: the Australian white ibis . Wildlife Research . en . 37 . 3 . 230–239 . 10.1071/WR10047 . 1448-5494.
  21. Burger . Joanna . 1977 . Colony and Nest Site Selection in White-Faced and Glossy Ibises . The Auk . 94 . 4 . 664–676 . 10.2307/4085263 . 4085263 . 0004-8038.
  22. Book: Ceram, C. W. . Gods, Graves, and Scholars: The Story of Archaeology . . 1967 . 2nd . New York . 207 . Garside . E. B. . C. W. Ceram . Wilkins . Sophie.
  23. Book: Birmingham Museum of Art. Birmingham Museum of Art. Birmingham Museum of Art : guide to the collection. 2010. Birmingham Museum of Art. 978-1-904832-77-5 . 65 .
  24. Wasef . Sally . Subramanian . Sankar . O’Rorke . Richard. Huynen. Leon. El-Marghani . Samia . Curtis . Caitlin . Popinga . Alex. Holland. Barbara. Ikram. Salima. Millar . Craig . Willerslev . Eske . Lambert. David. Mitogenomic diversity in Sacred Ibis Mummies sheds light on early Egyptian practices . PLOS ONE . 2019 . 14 . 11 . e0223964 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0223964 . 31721774 . 6853290 . 2019PLoSO..1423964W . free.
  25. Fleming, Furgus; Alan Lothian (1997) The Way to Eternity: Egyptian Myth. Amsterdam: Time-Life Books. pp. 66–67
  26. Book: Shuker, Karl . The Beasts That Hide from Man: Seeking the World's Last Undiscovered Animals . 2003 . 166–168 . Cosimo. 1-931044-64-3 . "Dreams of a feathered Geronticus"
  27. Web site: Beintema, Nienke . Saving a charismatic bird . AEWA Secretariat . 11 December 2008 . deviated . https://web.archive.org/web/20120301224158/http://www.unep-aewa.org/publications/saving_charismatic_bird.pdf . 1 March 2012 .
  28. Web site: Ancient Egyptians gathered birds from the wild for sacrifice and mummification: DNA study rejects the idea that Egyptians domesticated sacred ibis for ritual use. ScienceDaily. en. 2020-01-24.
  29. https://web.archive.org/web/20110519081217/http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/trads/mifl-mascot.html Sebastian the Ibis
  30. Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews. 2.10.
  31. News: Denby . Matthew . 2020-10-31. Secrets of the Ibis: The surprising real reason 'bin chickens' took Sydney by storm. 2020-11-13. Sydney Sentinel. Sydney. en-AU.
  32. News: Langford . Sam . Bin Chickens Are Leading In Australia's Bird Of The Year Vote, And It's Time To Have Your Say . 17 January 2023 . Junkee . 21 November 2017.
  33. News: Wahlquist . Calla . Magpie edges out white ibis and kookaburra as Australian bird of the year . 17 January 2023 . The Guardian . 10 December 2017 . en.
  34. News: McKay. Jack. 4 April 2022. Stirling Hinchliffe suggests ibis should be a contender for 2032 Games mascot. The Courier-Mail. 24 July 2022.
  35. News: Goodall. Hamish. 4 April 2022. Could the ibis - Australia's own 'bin chicken' - become the mascot for Brisbane 2032 Olympics? Queensland's sports minister believes so. Sunrise. 24 July 2022.
  36. News: Fordham. Ben. 4 April 2022. Bird expert backs ibis as the official mascot for Brisbane Olympics. 2GB. 24 July 2022.
  37. News: Horton. Shelly. 4 April 2022. 'Come on - we can do better than the bin chicken for our Olympics mascot'. 9Honey. 24 July 2022.

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