Threskiornis

Threskiornis
File:AustralianWhiteIbis gobeirne.png
Australian White Ibis, Darling Harbour, Sydney
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Clade:	Aequorlitornithes
Clade:	Ardeae
Clade:	Aequornithes
Order:	Plataleiformes
Family:	Threskiornithidae
Subfamily:	Threskiornithinae
Genus:	Threskiornis G.R. Gray, 1842

Threskiornis is a genus of ibises, wading birds of the family Threskiornithidae. They occur in the warmer parts of the Old World in southern Asia, Australasia and sub-Saharan Africa. They are colonial breeders, which build a stick nest in a tree or bush and lay 2-4 eggs. They occur in marshy wetlands and feed on various fish, frogs, crustaceans and insects.

Description

Adult Threskiornis ibises are typically 75 cm long and have white body plumage. The bald head, neck and legs are black. The bill is thick and curved. Sexes are similar, but juveniles have whiter necks duller plumage. The Straw-necked Ibis differs from the other species in having dark upperparts, and is some times placed in the separate genus Carphibis (Jameson, 1835) as Carphibis spinicollis.

Species

• African Sacred Ibis, Threskiornis aethiopicus
• Malagasy Sacred Ibis, Threskiornis bernieri
• Black-headed Ibis, Threskiornis melanocephalus
• Australian White Ibis, Threskiornis molucca
  • Solomons White Ibis, Threskiornis molucca pygmaeus
• Straw-necked Ibis, Threskiornis spinicollis

The extinct Reunion Ibis T. solitarius also belonged to this genus.

References

• Lowe, Kim W.; & Richards, Geraldine C. (1991). "Morphological variation in the Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus superspecies cornplex". Emu. 91 (1): 41–45.  CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)

This article is part of Project Bird Genera, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each genus, including made-up genera.