African Sacred Ibis - Five Sisters Zoo

Individuals have white feathers covering most of their body, and the flight feathers of their wings have dark blue-green tips. They have long necks with black heads and tail feathers. Their legs are long and slender with partially webbed feet to support them in marshy or watery terrain. They were once a sacred animal in Egypt, where they are now extinct.

Facts

Diet: Carnivores

Weight: 1.5 kilos

Wingspan: 1.12 metres to 1.24 metres

Length:  65 to 75 centimetres

Habitat: Central and Southern Africa; Forest, grassland, margins of inland freshwater like wetlands and coastal regions.

Life span:  Up to 20 years

Adapted to Survive

  • Long necks and curved bills are specially adapted to hunt in shallow water
  • Individuals migrate hundreds of kilometres for the breeding season due to food supply and nesting sites.

Threats

  • Poaching
  • Human-animal conflict
  • Habitat loss due to climate change and human expansion

IUCN Conservation Status

Least Concern