Ibis - a sacred and ordinary bird: description and species

Ibis refers to the family of birds of the order of the stork. Outwardly they look like a small heron. In ancient Egypt they were considered sacred, they worshiped.

External Description

Birds of the Ibis family grow to 50-110 cm. The adult weighs from 400 g to 1.3 kg. A distinctive feature is the beak. It is thin, long and bent down. Well adapted to find food at the bottom of the pond and in the clay ground. Most species of these birds, like the storks, do not have a voice device.

The wings of the ibises are long, wide, consisting of 11 primary feathers. Thanks to this, birds fly very fast.

Head and neck partially bare. Most of the individuals have a tuft, which is formed by feathers from the nape of the neck. Ibis is a bird with long legs, the first three fingers on which are connected by a swimming membrane.

Color plumage is always the same color: white, black, gray and, the brightest - scarlet.

They live on all continents, except Antarctica. Preference is given to the tropical, subtropical and southern part of the temperate zone.

The ibis is a bird that lives near the water. It feels good in the swampy terrain, among the bogs, on the lakes, avoids the banks of the rivers with a strong current.

Birds live in packs of 30-50 individuals. Inhabitants of southern territories lead a sedentary image, and northern species make seasonal flights.

Usually the morning passes through the birds in search of food in shallow water or on the shore of the reservoir, during the day they rest, and for sleep at night they go to trees.

The basis of nutrition is animal food: fish, shellfish, worms, frogs. Less often ibises catch on the ground of insects (for example, locust) or eat carrion.

Reproduction

These birds are monogamous, have a constant pair. Reproduction occurs once a year. In northern species in spring, in southern species - when the rainy season comes. Ibis is a bird, in which two parents participate in the upbringing of the younger generation.

On trees or in dense thickets of reeds or reeds, they build nests that have a spherical shape and consist of branches.

Usually the ibis female lays 2 to 5 eggs. After three weeks, chicks appear. They are absolutely helpless and remain in the nest for a long time (up to two months) under the protection of their parents.

Kinds

In nature, the ibises are distinguished not only in color. There are 28 species of these birds. The most famous are the following:

1. The scarlet ibis. A bird living in the northern part of South America. Except for the black beak and the same tips of the wings, it has a bright crimson plumage. Crossing of species is observed in habitats with white ibis. The schools number from 30 to 70 individuals.

2. White ibis. He leads a sedentary life, inhabits the territory of Florida, California, Venezuela and the northwestern part of Peru. During breeding, it breeds in many thousands of colonies. With the exception of the beak and pink legs , the bird is completely white.

3. The forest ibis. It is now considered a rare bird. It is dark, almost black, only the head and beak are red, on the back of the head is a crest. In the wild, there are only 400 individuals, they live only in the mountains of Morocco. Now they are bred in captivity, and released into the natural habitat.

4. The bald ibis. It differs from the forest by the absence of a tuft on the back of the head. He lives in South Africa, in the world there are only 8000 birds.

5. The ibis is black-faced. It differs from others in more diverse plumage. His neck and head are of a tan color, cheeks, belly and chin are dark, legs are reddish, the rest of the body is gray. Live and reproduce in the plains of South America.

Of the 28 species in Russia, you can find four: spoonbill and karavayku in the southern part of the country, a Japanese ibis in Primorye, sometimes sacred in the Caucasus.

Disappearance of these birds is mainly due to climate change and habitat conditions.

The sacred ibis

In the world are known and representatives of this family, who have been worshiped since ancient times. In ancient Egypt there was a god with the head of an ibis bird - That. In its temple contained whole flocks. In one of the found and open tombs was found a large number of mummified birds. They were called sacred ibis.

There are several versions explaining this attitude to this species. Someone believes that honors are deserved for the constant destruction of snakes. Another version - the bird ibis in Ancient Egypt appeared at the flood of the Nile River, which was considered sacred. It was taken as a sign of the gods.

Nowadays, a bird can be found in Iran and North Africa. It is predominantly white in color, the head and tip of the tail are black. The sacred ibises live in small swarms in wetlands.