Madagascar sacred ibis

Description

The Malagasy sacred ibis (Threskiornis bernieri) is a relatively large,heavily built ibis endemic to the west coast of Madagascar,and Aldabra on the Seychelles.The adult stands 65–89 cm tall,with a wingspan of 112–124 cm.The plumage is predominantly white,often with brownish-yellow staining.There are also black ornamental plumes on the back with a blue or green gloss formed from the lower scapulars and tertials,which are most prominent in the breeding season.The bill,head,neck and legs are black.This ibis is morphologically similar to the African sacred ibis,but is slightly smaller,more slender-billed,lacks the black trailing edge to the wings,has bluish-slate tertials (purplish-slate in the African sacred ibis),differently structured ornamental neck sacs,less developed ornamental plumes and a different display.Unlike the African sacred ibis,there is also little or no black on the wing tips and duller display plumes from the innermost secondaries.Both the bernieri and abbotti race have a light blue or white iris,both of which differ markedly from the brown iris of the African sacred ibis.The abbotti race also has a black wing stripe.Although this ibis is unlikely to be confused with other species in the field,it may sometimes be mistaken for the African sacred ibis which may occasionally visit Madagascar as a vagrant.The juvenile appears similar to the adult,but the head and neck are feathered black with white streaks,the ornamental plumes on the back are absent,and there may be some black on the wing tips.It is generally non-vocal,but the voice is probably similar to that of the African Sacred Ibis.