Hadada Ibis
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| Bostrychia hagedash (Latham, 1790) |
The Hadada Ibis, Bostrychia hagedash is a large, up to 76 cm long, dark brown ibis with a white "moustache", glossy greenish purple wings, large black bill with a red stripe on upper mandible, and blackish legs.
The Hadada Ibis is found throughout open grasslands, savanna and rainforests of Sudan, Ethiopia, Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania, Gabon, Zaire, Cameroon, Gambia, Kenya, Somalia and South Africa, and also in urban parks and large gardens. It feeds mainly on earthworms, using its long scimitar-like bill to probe soft soil. It also eats larger insects, such as the Parktown Prawn, as well as spiders and small lizards.
It has a distinctively loud and recognisable haa-haa-haa-de-dah calls that often heard when it flying from or to the nest, hence the name.
Widespread and common throughout its large range, the Hadada Ibis is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
[edit] Gallery
 Hadada Ibis in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town |
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Bostrychia hagedash. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 1 November 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
