Black-headed Ibis

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Black-headed Ibis
Conservation status
Near Threatened
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Threskiornithidae Genus: Threskiornis Species: T. melanocephalus
Binomial name
Threskiornis melanocephalus (Latham, 1790)

The Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) is a species of wading bird of the ibis family Threskiornithidae, which breeds in southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to Japan. It builds a stick nest in a tree and lays 2-4 eggs.

It occurs in marshy wetlands inland and on the coast, where it feeds on various fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as on insects.

Adults are typically 75cm long and white-plumaged, with some greyer areas on the wings. The bald head, the neck and legs are black. The thick curved bill is dusky yellow. Sexes are similar, but juveniles have whiter necks and a black bill.

[edit] References

• BirdLife International (2006). Threskiornis melanocephalus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is near threatened
• Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp; Birds of India. ISBN 0-691-04910-6