Giant ibis

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Giant ibis
ThaumantibisGiganteaGronvold.jpg

Giant ibis ( Pseudibis gigantea )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Pelecaniformes
Family : Ibises and spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)
Genre : Pseudibis
Type : Giant ibis
Scientific name
Pseudibis gigantea
( Oustalet , 1877)

The giant ibis ( Pseudibis gigantea , Syn. : Thaumatibis gigantea ) is a species of bird in the family of ibises and spoonbills and lives in Southeast Asia .

Appearance

The giant ibis is strikingly large at 102–106 cm. The plumage is predominantly black, the bald head gray, the wings silver-gray. The neck is closely banded with black. The legs are red, the curved bill yellow-green, the eyes dark red. Fledglings have short black feathers on the back of the head, the beak is shorter, and the eyes are brown. The call is a loud "ä-lörk, ä-lörk", which can usually be heard at sunrise and sunset.

distribution

The giant ibis was once widespread in southern Indochina , southeastern Thailand and the Thai part of the Malay Peninsula . Today the occurrence of the giant ibi is limited to the north of Cambodia and the extreme south of Laos and the Yok Don National Park in south Vietnam . The total population is estimated by the IUCN to be approximately 100 pairs and categorized as "critically endangered" . The population decline is justified with hunting, the draining of wetlands and forest clearing. Protective measures have been initiated in Cambodia and Laos. One tries especially to limit the hunt to large waterfowl.

habitat

The giant ibis lives in wetlands, temporarily flooded meadows and fields, open forests near water, but also ponds in dense forest areas. It nests on trees, especially on large two-winged fruit trees ( Dipterocarpus ), keeping a minimum distance of about 4 km from human settlements.

food

It looks for food in small groups and feeds mainly on crustaceans , worms , mussels , large insects , snails and small amphibians and reptiles .

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

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