Sacred Ibis


Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Wikipedia.
Related to Sacred Ibis: marabou stork, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Sacred Ibis

 

(Threskiornis aethiopica), a bird of the family Threskiornithidae of the order Ciconiiformes. It is about 75 cm long and has a long (17 cm) and slightly decurved bill. The plumage is white, with a blackish green iridescence on the wing tips. The head and neck are black and bare in the adult and feathered in the young.

The sacred ibis is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the southern Arabian Peninsula, and Madagascar. It was also distributed in Egypt until the 19th century. In the USSR it is accidental in the Caspian Sea region. In southern Africa and the Sudan it is migratory. In ancient Egypt it was considered sacred because its arrival coincided with the flooding of the Nile, which provided irrigation water for the fields.

The sacred ibis nests along shores in trees or bushes or on the ground; a clutch contains two or three eggs. The sacred ibis feeds on fish, small reptiles, insects, and mollusks.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mentioned in ?
References in periodicals archive ?
Some accused him of killing a sacred Ibis in Egypt.
Lookalike cops flak for Wills
Although possible that it was a sacred ibis, famous for being venerated by the ancient Egyptians, this is considered unlikely.
Prince, ibis, and two smoking barrels mystery
AN embarrassed Prince William kept quiet yesterday over rumours he shot a sacred ibis bird during his gap year.
SILLY WILL SHOOTS THE WRONG BIRD; Prince silent on Kenyan hunt
Many of the hotel's 1,293 rooms feature balconies that overlook savannas featuring more than 200 mammals and birds, including giraffe, zebra, Thomson's gazelle, ostrich and sacred ibis.
2001: A Sun-Filled Vacation Odyssey
An adult male African sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) was diagnosed with an open right distal tarsometatarsal fracture on physical examination and radiographs.
J Zoo Wildl Med.: Circular external fixator placement for repair of an open distal tarsometatarsal fracture in an African sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)
Craig revealed the flood water's final toll was seven birds, including handreared sacred ibis Tutan, ageing eagle owl Ludwig and burrowing owls Bilbo and Hercules.
Owl centre set to fly high again after flood
Wills was said to be horrified when he discovered he had shot the sacred ibis.
Wills shot rare bird 'in error'

Encyclopedia browser ?
Full browser ?