Twenty-nine species of long-legged wading birds with long, down-curved bills, which they use to probe mud for food, usually in groups. They nest in trees, often alongside spoonbills or herons.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Omnivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
HabitatWetland, Grassland, Forest
ColoursWhite, Black, Red
SizeMedium
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives inflocks
Lives for15–25 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Wetlands, forests and plains of the Old and New Worlds.
- What it eats
- Mostly crustaceans and other food found by probing mud.
Did you know
Sacred in ancient Egypt, and known in Australia today as the bin chicken.
The African sacred ibis was linked to the god Thoth in ancient Egypt, but no longer lives in Egypt.
The Australian white ibis is a native bird, not an escaped Egyptian one, whatever the urban myth says.
Often confused with
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