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Hadada Ibis

Conservation status and names
Conservation status and names
hadada ibis, ibis hagedash, Nicolas Urlacher, birds of Kenya, birds of Africa, water birds, widlife of Kenya
Lake Naivasha
hadada ibis, ibis hagedash, Nicolas Urlacher, birds of Kenya, birds of Africa, water birds, widlife of Kenya
Crescent Island Game Park

hadada ibis, ibis hagedash, Nicolas Urlacher, birds of Kenya, birds of Africa, water birds, widlife of Kenya
Crescent Island Game Park
hadada ibis, ibis hagedash, Nicolas Urlacher, birds of Kenya, birds of Africa, water birds, widlife of Kenya
Shaba National Reserve
hadada ibis, ibis hagedash, Nicolas Urlacher, birds of Kenya, birds of Africa, water birds, widlife of Kenya
Ol Pejeta Conservancy

The hadeda ibis (Bostrychia hagedash), also called hadada, is an ibis native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named for its loud three to four note calls uttered in flight especially in the mornings and evenings when they fly out or return to their roost trees. Although not as dependent on water as some ibises, they are found near wetlands and often live in close proximity to humans, foraging in cultivated land and gardens. A medium sized ibis with stout legs and a typical down-curved bill, the wing coverts are iridescent with a green or purple sheen. They are non-migratory but are known to make nomadic movements in response to rain particularly during droughts. Their ranges in southern Africa have increased with an increase in tree cover and irrigation in human-altered habitats.

 

Hadada ibises roost in groups on trees. They fly out in the mornings with loud calls and return in the evenings with regularity. They feeds on insects, millipedes and earthworms, using their long scimitar-like bill to probe soft soil. It also eats larger insects, such as the Parktown prawn, as well as spiders and small lizards. These birds also favour snails and will feed in garden beds around residential homes. They are particularly welcomed on bowling and golf greens because they are assiduous in extracting larvae of moths and beetles that feed on the roots of the grass.

 

Hadada are monogamous and pair bonds are thought to be maintained even outside the breeding season. Pairs begin breeding just after the rains. In the Cape province, they breed mainly from October to November. The nest is a platform of twigs placed in a tree. Both parents take part in incubating the clutch of three to four eggs for about 26 days after which the young are fed by the parents by regurgitating food. Many young birds die by falling off the nest. The ones that survive fledge in about 33 days.

 

Source : Wikipedia