ANIMAL SPECIES:Australian White Ibis
The Australian White Ibis can be observed in all but the driest habitats.
Size range
76 cmDistribution
Northern and eastern Australia
Habitat
Preferred habitats include swamps, lagoons, floodplains and grasslands, but it has also become a successful inhabitant of urban parks and gardens.
All but the driest of habitats
Behaviour and adaptations
Feeding and Diet
The Australian White Ibis' most favoured foods are crayfish and mussels, which the bird obtains by digging with its long bill. Mussels are opened by hammering them on a hard surface to reveal the soft body inside.
Mating and reproduction
Australian White Ibis nest in large colonies, often with the Straw-necked Ibis, T. spinicollis. The male secures a pairing territory on a branch of a tall tree in order to attract a female. The courtship ceremony involves the male putting on a noisy display, as well as showing aggression towards other males. When a female arrives, the male attracts her by bowing from his branch. He then offers the female a twig, forging a bond when she grasps it and they begin to preen one another. Once the pair bond is cemented, the birds fly off to build a nest at another location.
Classification
- Species:
- molucca
- Genus:
- Threskiornis
- Subfamily:
- Threskionithinae
- Family:
- Threskiornithidae
- Order:
- Ciconiiformes
- Class:
- Aves
- Phylum:
- Chordata
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
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Australian White Ibis View full size
G Little
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