Holy bin chickens | 台北市立動物園資訊網

These days, not many Aussies consider the ibis a particularly admirable creature.

But these birds, now colloquially referred to as “bin chickens” due to their notorious scavenging antics, have a grandiose and important place in history - ancient Egyptian history[1], to be precise.

Using DNA from ibis mummies buried around 2,500 years ago, our research[2] published today explores this bird’s stature in ancient times, and how it was reared.

Our findings suggest ancient Egyptian priests practised short-term taming of the wild sacred ibis. This was likely done somewhere in natural ibis habitats, such as local lakes or wetlands. Also, it was probably done close to the Thoth temple at Tuna el Gebel[3], in a bid to meet an ibis demand fuelled by religious burial rituals.

The preservation of bodies through mummificat...