Ibis belong to the family of birds of the stork order. Outwardly, they look like a medium-sized heron. In ancient Egypt, they were considered sacred, they were worshiped.
External Description
Birds of the ibis family grow up to 50-110 cm. An adult weighs from 400 g to 1.3 kg. A distinctive feature is the beak. It is thin, long and curved down. It is well adapted for searching for food at the bottom of the reservoir and in muddy ground. Most species of these birds, like storks, do not have a developed vocal apparatus.
Ibis wings are long, wide, and consist of 11 primary flight feathers. Thanks to this, the birds fly very fast.
Head and neck partially bare. Most of the individuals have a crest, which is formed by feathers from the back of the head. Ibis is a bird with long legs, the first three fingers of which are connected by a swimming membrane.
The color of the plumage is always the same color: white, black, gray and, the brightest - scarlet.
They live on all continents, the only exception is Antarctica. Preference is given to the tropical, subtropical and southern parts of the temperate zone.
Ibis is a bird that lives near the water. Feels good in swampy areas, among bogs, on lakes,avoids the banks of rivers with strong currents.
Birds live in flocks of 30-50 individuals. The inhabitants of the southern territories are sedentary, while the northern species make seasonal flights.
Usually, birds spend the morning searching for food in shallow water or on the shore of a reservoir, they rest during the day, and go to the trees to sleep at night.
The basis of nutrition is animal food: fish, shellfish, worms, frogs. Less often, ibises catch insects on the ground (for example, locusts) or eat carrion.
Reproduction
These birds are monogamous, have a permanent pair. Reproduction occurs once a year. In northern species in spring, in southern species - when the rainy season begins. Ibis is a bird in which two parents are involved in the upbringing of the younger generation.
In trees or in dense thickets of reeds or reeds, they build nests that are spherical in shape and consist of branches.
Typically, a female ibis lays 2 to 5 eggs. Three weeks later, the chicks appear. They are absolutely helpless and for a long time (up to two months) remain in the nest under the protection of their parents.
Views
In nature, ibis are distinguished not only by color. There are 28 species of these birds. The most famous are the following:
1. Scarlet ibis. A bird that lives in northern South America. With the exception of the black beak and the same wingtips, it has a bright scarlet plumage. In places of joint habitat with white ibis, crossing of species is observed. Flocks number from 30 to 70 individuals.
2. White ibis. Leads a sedentary lifelives in Florida, California, Venezuela and northwestern Peru. During the breeding season, it nests in colonies of many thousands. Except for the pink beak and legs, the bird is completely white.
3. Forest ibis. It is now considered a rare bird. It is dark, almost black, only the head and beak are red, there is a crest on the back of the head. Only 400 individuals remain in the wild, they live only in the mountains of Morocco. Now they are bred in captivity and released into their natural habitat.
4. Ibis is bald. It differs from the forest one in the absence of a tuft on the back of the head. He lives in South Africa, there are only 8,000 birds left in the world.
5. Ibis black-faced. Differs from others in more diverse plumage. Its neck and head are yellow-brown, the cheeks, belly and chin are dark, the legs are reddish, the rest of the body is gray. Live and breed on the plains of South America.
Four out of 28 species can be found in Russia: spoonbill and loaf in the southern part of the country, Japanese ibis in Primorye, sometimes sacred in the Caucasus.
The disappearance of these birds is mainly due to climate change and habitat conditions.
Sacred ibis
Representatives of this family, who have been worshiped since ancient times, are also known in the world. In ancient Egypt, there was a god with the head of an ibis bird - Thoth. Entire flocks were kept in his temple. In one of the found and opened tombs, a large number of mummified birds were found. They were called sacred ibis.
There are several versions explaining this attitude towards this species. Someone believes that honors are deserved for the constant extermination of snakes. Another version - the ibis bird in ancient Egypt appeared during the flood of the Nile River, which was considered sacred. This was taken as a sign of the gods.
In our time, the bird can be found in Iran and North Africa. It is predominantly white in color with a black head and tail tip. Sacred ibis live in small flocks in wetlands.
