Wattled Ibis
Bostrychia carunculata
A dark ibis with a shaggy crest and a small wattle below the bill that is difficult to see. White patches in the wings are distinctive, especially in flight. Found in montane habitats including grasslands, marshes, moorlands, and even urban lawns. Often in small flocks. Somewhat similar to other dark ibis, but easily separated by the white in the wing. The calls are raspy and rough.
Identification
The Wattled ibis is a medium-sized, dark brown, crested bird, distinguished by the combination of its dark color, its creast and its extensive white wing-patch. It has a relatively short bill, a fairly long tail and a thin wattle hanging from its throat. The basic color of the adult is dark brown. The brown face is feathered with a dusky red bill. The eye is red and surrounded by a white ring. Plumage is glossed dull green; the waddle is small and red, about 20 mm long. Body length is about 65–75 cm.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Bostrychia carunculata
- Authority
- (Rüppell, 1837)
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Threskiornithidae
- Genus
- Bostrychia
Range and habitat
They may occur all over Ethiopian highlands at altitudes ranging from 1500 m to the highest moorlands at 4100 m. It has also been recorded on the coast of Eritrea. It prefers meadows and highland river courses. It is often found in rocky places and cliffs (where it roosts and breeds), but also in open country, cultivated land, city parks and olive tree (Olea africana) and juniper (Juniperus procera) mixed forests. It has also become well adapted to anthropic landscapes and conditions; it can be seen in green areas and lawns of for example down-town Addis Ababa, year round. The wattled ibis is common to abundant.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
African Woolly-necked Stork
Ciconia microscelis
A dark-brown stork with green-bronze iridescence on the wings and breast. It has a distinctive white ruffled neck, a white tail, and a dark salmon-tipped bill. Resident and migrant. Individuals and small groups forage in rivers, shallow wetland margins, urban grassy areas, and flooded grasslands for insects and small vertebrates. May gather in groups of several hundred when conditions are suitable.
Saturnine Antshrike
Thamnomanes saturninus
Fairly small antshrike. Males are dark gray with a black throat. Females are tinged brown above and tawny below with a contrasting whitish throat. Found in the understory of lowland humid forest. Often leads mixed-species flocks; occasionally attends army-ant swarms. Sings a series of gradually ascending notes that ends with a harsh final note. Similar to Cinereous Antshrike, which can occur in the same flocks, but differs in throat color and in song.
Black-and-yellow Broadbill
Eurylaimus ochromalus
Utterly unmistakable in its costume of black, white, yellow, and pink. Wide, deep-based bill, typical of the broadbills, is bright blue. Forages at middle to high levels in lowland and hill forests, frequently moving with mixed-species flocks and sallying out from a perch. Song is disproportionately loud, a series of high-pitched coos that increases in pitch and speed, turning into a maddened series of loud whistles. Frequently gives a jay-like “jeer!” call.
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