The Sacred Ibis, Threskiornis aethiopica, is native to Madagascar, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa. It was worshiped in Egypt and associated with the god of wisdom, Thoth.
Introducing the Sacred Ibis
This bird is a member of the Ibis family of wading birds, which includes spoonbills. The Sacred Ibis grows to a length of about 75 centimetres. Its body is mainly white, while the head and neck are darker and the lower back and wings have some black plumes.
It has a very healthy population ranging over a wide area in Africa, although the overall population might be slowly declining. It eats amphibians, birds' eggs and chicks, fish, insects and small mammals.
As with all the ibis family, the preferred habitat includes lagoons and marshes, coastal estuaries and other wetlands. They forage in small groups, ranging from a mating pair to perhaps 20 individuals. They nest at night in colonies of perhaps a few hundred birds.
Even in their native territories, the Sacred Ibis causes concern for naturalists by preying on the Cape Cormorant as well as many seabirds.
The Sacred Ibis in Florida
Florida officials consider the Sacred Ibis to be one of about 16 "introduced, "invasive" and "established" species. This means that people had introduced this bird; it competes with native species; and there is a significant population likely to thrive.
It is believed that 1992's Hurricane Andrew released the founders of the Florida population of Sacred Ibises. Although the Miami Metro Zoo recaptured its escapees and all their known offspring, others likely escaped from private collections at the same time.
Currently Florida's Sacred Ibis population clings to the southern coast of Florida. This territory includes the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge and the Everglades National Park.
In 2009, there was no immediate threat to wild birds native to Florida. Officials have some concern that the endangered Wood Stork would be the first victims of predation or competition. Florida's native White Ibis is a smaller bird. Gulls and other seabirds might also be at risk sometime in the future.
The Sacred Ibis in Europe
Johnson and McGarrity report that the Sacred Ibis has established itself in breeding colonies in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. Like the Florida population, the European birds had originally escaped from collections or zoos. Here, too, the Sacred Ibis is an unwelcome, invasive species.
From Thoth's Sacred Bird to Unwanted Pilgrim
The ancient Egyptian god, Thoth, was represented either as a man with the head of an ibis, or as a baboon. The Sacred Ibis would have nested in marshes where papyrus reeds grew; perhaps this led to associating a bird with the god of the scribes. Its curved bill represented the crescent moon. One act of religious devotion was to mummify and bury a Sacred Ibis.
Now the Sacred Ibis is a successful but unwanted pilgrim in Florida and throughout Western Europe. Even in its native Africa, these wild birds are considered a menace to endangered species. Yet their success indicates that at least some wetlands, so often under pressure from human encroachment, still support a thriving ecology.
Sources
- Steve Johnson and Monica McGarrity, University of Florida, "Florida's Introduced Birds: Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)", copyright 2009, referenced April 26, 2011.
- Bird Life International, "African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)", referenced April 22, 2011.
- Encyclopædia Britannica, "Sacred Ibis", 2011, referenced April 26, 2011.
Mike DeHaan - Copyright (c) Mike DeHaan, B. Math., of DeHaan Services. Well written and well researched freelance articles; ghost writing for clients.
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