The IBIS bird

Ibis (Gr and Latin: ibis=Egyptian stork). Together with the spoonbill (Lepelaar), the ibis belongs to the family Threskiornithidae. Ibisses are characterized by long, down-curving bills grooved above from base to tip. They have a long neck and long legs. Ibisses fly with their necks straight and their heads held forward.
In ancient times, the sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) was sacred to the Egyptians as the appearance of Thot, the God of the art of writing. This species is white, with a featherless head and neck black. Everywhere Thot was honored, ibisses were mummified and placed in tombs. In Sakkara, thousands of such mummies were found. Small wonder that these days, the sacred ibis is seldom found in Egypt. However, this species is still quite common south of the Sahara.
Other ibisses are the black, red and white ibis, which can be found in the United States and South America. The black ibis can occasionally (late summer) be found in Belgium and the Netherlands.
All ibisses breed in colonially in warm regions. Their nests are placed in marshes, bushes or in trees. They lay two to five whitish, pale blue, or pale green eggs, lightly spotted in some species.
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Last revision on January 7th, 1997 by Karin Oudshoorn
karino@wins.uva.nl .