Southern bald ibis

Southern bald ibis
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Threskiornithidae
Genus: Geronticus
Species:
G. calvus
Binomial name
Geronticus calvus
(Boddaert, 1783)
Synonyms
  • Tantalus calvus Boddaert, 1783

The southern bald ibis (Geronticus calvus) is a large bird found in open grassland or semi-desert in the mountains of southern Africa. Taxonomically, it is most closely related to its counterpart in the northern regions of Africa, the waldrapp (Geronticus eremita).[3][4] As a species, it has a very restricted homerange, limited to the southern tips of South Africa in highland and mountainous regions.[4]

This large, glossy, blue-black ibis has an unfeathered red face and head, and a long, decurved red bill. It breeds colonially on and amongst rocks and on cliffs, laying two or three eggs which are incubated for 21 days before hatching. It is a large bird that feeds and roosts in substantial groups.[5][6] It feeds on insects, small reptiles, rodents and small birds. They do little vocalizing other than occasional gobbling sounds.[7]

The ibises are gregarious long-legged wading birds with long down-curved bills; they form one subfamily of the Threskiornithidae, the other subfamily being the spoonbills.[8] The two Geronticus species differ from other ibises in that they have unfeathered faces and heads, breed on cliffs rather than in trees, and prefer arid habitats to the wetlands used by their relatives.[9][10] The species is currently listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, however, it is in no immediate danger of extinction.[4][7][11]

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Geronticus calvus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22697496A93617026. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22697496A93617026.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. ^ Pegoraro (2001). "Mitochondrial DNA sequence evidence for close relationship of Bald Ibis, Geronticus calvus, and Waldrapp Ibis, G. eremita". Ostrich. 72 (3–4): 215–216. doi:10.2989/00306520109485324.
  4. ^ a b c Siegfried (1971). "The status of the Bald Ibis of Southern Africa". Biological Conservation. 3 (2): 88–91. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(71)90004-8.
  5. ^ Manry, D. (1985a). "Distribution, Abundance and Conservation of the Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus in Southern Africa". Biological Conservation. 33 (4): 351–362. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(85)90076-x.
  6. ^ Manry, D. (1985b). "Reproductive performance of the Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus in relation to rainfall and grass-burning". Ibis. 127 (2): 159–173. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.1985.tb05052.x.
  7. ^ a b "Geronticus calvus". Wildscreen Arkive. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  8. ^ del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A.; Sargatal, J., eds. (1992). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 84-87334-09-1.
  9. ^ Snow, David; Perrins, Christopher M., eds. (1998). The Birds of the Western Palearctic concise edition (2 volumes). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-854099-X.
  10. ^ Sinclair, Ian; Hockey, Phil; Tarboton, Warwick (2002). SASOL Birds of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Struik. ISBN 1-86872-721-1.
  11. ^ Kopij, G. (2001). "Feeding ecology of the Southern Bald Ibis, Geronticus calvus, in the Free State, South Africa". Ostrich. 72 (3–4): 193–198. doi:10.2989/00306520109485316.