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Ibises and Spoonbills: Threskiornithidae

Ibises And Spoonbills, And People

For 5,000 years, ibises have been honored in the religions of some people, while others thought the birds brought bad luck. Ibises were carved on ancient Greek coins, and in the Middle Ages, noblemen ate ibises as a special treat. In the 1800s, some species of ibises and spoonbills were hunted for their beautiful feathers.

SACRED FIGHTERS

At nesting time, male sacred ibises use their bills for more than finding food. They arrive at the breeding area before the females. Then they fight for the best nesting places with their bills, and fly at other males to try to knock them off their perches. When the females arrive, more fighting and chasing takes place, until they choose mates. Sacred ibises build platform nests of sticks and twigs and line them with soft plants. But sticks are often in short supply, so the birds fight over them and steal them from other nests in the colony. Eventually, they settle down and the raise their families.

Additional topics

Animal Life ResourceBirdsIbises and Spoonbills: Threskiornithidae - Physical Characteristics, Ibises And Spoonbills, And People, Conservation Status, Sacred Ibis (threskiornis Aethiopicus): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, BEHAVIOR AND REPRODUCTION