Crested ibis (Lophotibis)
| Crested ibis | ||||||||||
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Crested ibis at the Bronx Zoo |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||
| Lophotibis | ||||||||||
| L. Reichenbach , 1853 | ||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||
| Lophotibis cristata | ||||||||||
| ( Boddaert , 1783) |
The Madagascan Ibis or Mähnenibis ( Lophotibis cristata ) is a bird from the family of ibises and spoonbills . It is the only representative of the genus Lophotibis and occurs in two subspecies endemic to the island of Madagascar .
Subspecies
Appearance
The crested ibis is about 50 cm tall. The basic color of the plumage is brown to black-brown, the front half of the wings white. The head is black with a greenish metallic sheen and a bare, red field of vision behind the beak and around the eye. At the back of the head are feathers that are black with white parts. The downward curved bill is yellowish.
Food and subsistence
The food of the crested ibis consists of insects and their larvae, worms, snails and their eggs, grasshoppers, spiders, and more rarely small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The bird looks for food in pairs or small groups, poking its beak deep in the forest floor.
Reproduction
The breeding season is in the rainy season, between September and January. The large nests are made from twigs, grass and leaves on horizontal branches or forks in trees. The clutch consists of two or three eggs.
literature
- J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal (Eds.) (1992): Handbook of the Birds of the World . Vol. 1. Ostrich to Ducks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, ISBN 84-87334-10-5
