Malagasy Sacred Ibis

About the Malagasy Sacred Ibis

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 Malagasy sacred ibis was formerly considered a subspecies of the African sacred ibis. It is now however classified as a separate species from the African sacred ibis due to considerable differences observed in the former's ecology and morphology. It is hypothesized that the Malagasy sacred ibis evolved from the African sacred ibis when the latter supposedly spread to and colonized Madagascar from mainland Africa.

There are two different subspecies of the Malagasy sacred ibis: Threskiornis bernieri bernieri (Bonaparte, 1855) on Madagascar, and T. b. abbotti (Ridgway, 1893) on Aldabra in the Seychelles. The adult stands 65–89 cm (26–35 in) tall, with a wingspan of 112–124 cm (44–49 in). 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.

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