Spot-breasted Ibis
Bostrychia rara
Small, dark, forest-dwelling ibis. Note the blue bare skin on the face and the heavily spotted breast and neck. Found in the understory of moist rainforest. Very shy and generally scarce bird. The vocalization is a honking, two-parted goose-like call. Similar to Olive Ibis, but smaller and slimmer, with heavy spotting, blue facial skin, and a different call. Somewhat like Hadada Ibis, but much smaller, and found in forest rather than more open habitats.
Identification
The spot-breasted ibis is a small, dark ibis (around 47 cm (19 in)), with long legs and a long red bill. The adult has a long, loose crest at the back of its head, which is dark brown to black and glossy green. Its plumage varies, but most usually tends to be brownish-blue. The mantle is brown and edged buff, but with a shiny green color. The rump and tail are blue-green, and the tail is slightly blue-green. It has blue-black wings and black underwing. The scapulars and the inner secondaries have an iridescent bronze green.<p>The best distinguishing feature is suggested by its name: the buff-spotted neck, breast and belly that are used as a diagnostic tool to identify the species. Otherwise, the upperparts are uniformly dark, with turquoise green spots in front of and behind the eyes (smaller in females); a similar colored streak crosses the face in line with the bill.<p>Their wing length is 270–290 mm, their bill length is 115–130 mm and their tarsus length is 56–65 mm. Flying birds can be distinguished by their broad wings and short tail. The juvenile is duller, and has a shorter crest.
Taxonomy
The spot-breasted ibis is most closely related to the four other members of the genus Bostrychia, olive ibis, São Tomé ibis, hadada ibis and wattled ibis, which are also all restricted to sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, the spot-breasted ibis is closely related to the olive ibis and São Tomé ibis, and these three species are sometimes placed into their own genus, Lampribis. There are no recognized subspecies of the spot-breasted ibis.
- Scientific name
- Bostrychia rara
- Authority
- (Rothschild, Hartert, EJO & Kleinschmidt, 1897)
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Threskiornithidae
- Genus
- Bostrychia
Range and habitat
The spot-breasted ibis is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. Although it is found across a wide range of territory is it not common and considered to be rare. In the areas where it is found it is a resident of that area, this means as a species they do not migrate and they live there all year long. Its habitat is in wooded swamps or forested areas near streams.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Male distinctive, with striking head and breast pattern, especially blackish throat. Female drab and streaky, told from Yellowhammer by finer dark streaking, more boldly striped head, and grayish rump (not bright rusty). White outer tail feathers often show in flight. Inhabits sunny heathland, woodland edge, and farmland with hedges. Male sings from a prominent perch, such as bush, or wires; song is an unremarkable rattling trill. Call includes a bright, metallic “tsiu” and a longer, high-pitched “tseeu.” Native to Eurasia and North Africa, introduced to New Zealand.
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