What?! We have three different types of ibis in Australia ... | 台北市立動物園資訊網

Themorewidelyknownibis,theAustralianwhiteibiswasonceknownastheSacredibisbutissadlynowoftenreferredtoasabinchicken,tipturkeyordumpster ...

In the past 30 years, there have been significant declines in populations of all of our waterbirds, including the Australian ibis species. Australian scientists are hard at work studying these groups and attempting to identify the cause of the declining numbers in certain habitats. In the case of ibis, causes are thought to include reductions in beneficial flooding, loss of habitat, and high mortality rates.

Most of us know ibises as ‘bin chickens’, but ibises are beautiful creatures and play an important part in our ecosystem. Part of a group of long-legged wading birds, ibises typically inhabit wetlands and floodplains. They have a characteristic long, down-curved bill (as seen in the photos below) and usually feed in groups. They nest together in tightly-packed ‘colonies’ with nests sometimes numbering in the thousands.

But did you know that Australia is home to three ibis species? The Straw-necked Ibis, Glossy Ibis and Australian White Ibis.