“ Because they were hunted for their meat and feathers, these ibises almost went extinct in the 17th century. The number of the birds has increased throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia as a result of captive breeding initiatives and releases. ”

– Eostre

Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Pelecaniformes

Family: Threskiornithidae

Genius: Geronticus

Species: Geronticus eremita

Descendant: ibises

Named by: Carl Linnaeus

Year Published: 1758 (10th edition of Systema Naturae)

Size: 70–80 cm (28–31 in) long with a 125–135 cm (49–53 in) wingspan and an average weight of 1.0–1.3 kg (35–46 oz)

Lifespan:

Wild: 10–15 years
Captivity: 20–37 years

Activity: Diurnal 🌅

Thermoregulate: Endotherm

Type(s):

Reptile (Archosaurs)
- Birds (Ibises)

Title(s):

Bald Ibis

Other Name(s)/Alias(es):

Waldrapp

Pantheon: Terran/Gaian 🇺🇳

Time Period: Miocene–Holocene

Alignment: Docile

Threat Level: ★★★

Diet: Carnivorous 🥩🪲

Element(s): Air 🌬️

Inflict(s): none

Weakness(es): Electric ⚡, Poison 🤢

Casualties: none

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: Endangered (EN) – IUCN Red List

The Northern Bald Ibis, Hermit Ibis, or Waldrapp (Geronticus eremita) is a migratory Old World ibis was once widespread across the Middle East, northern Africa, southern and central Europe, with a fossil record dating back at least 1.8 million years.

Etymology

Mentioned in the Wycliffe Bible as ybyn or ibin, as ibys from 16th century and ibis shortly after. From Latin ībis, from Ancient Greek ἶβις (îbis), from Egyptian 🌀🦶"🪿 (hbj/hebi) (compare Coptic ϩⲓⲃⲱⲓ (hibōi) or ϩⲓⲡ (hip)).

Singular: ibis
Plural: ibises

The Ancient Greek word γέρωv: gérōn, which means old man and describes the bald head of the elderly, is the source of the species name Geronticus. The species name eremita, which means "hermit" in Late Latin, comes from the Ancient Greek word ἐρημία: erēmía, which means "desert," and describes the dry environments that this species inhabits. The German word for forest raven, Waldrapp, is the equivalent of Gesner's Latin Corvo sylvatico.

Physical Appearance

The ibises are wading birds that are gregarious, have long legs, and have long bills that are curled downward. They belong to the same subfamily as the spoonbills, Threskiornithidae. The northern bald ibis' closest relative and the sole other member of the species is the southern bald ibis, Geronticus calvus, which lives in southern Africa. The two Geronticus species differ from other ibises in that they have unfeathered faces and heads, reproduce on cliffs rather than in trees, and prefer desert habitats over marshes like their relatives.

The northern bald ibis has black plumage with iridescent green highlights, a bald red head and neck, and a long, curved red beak. It also has long, narrow feathers that form a dark "ruff" on the back of its head and neck. The sexes are similar in plumage, although males are generally larger than females, and, as with other ibises that breed in colonies, have longer bills. The longer-billed males are more successful in attracting a mate.

Abilities

Northern bald ibises communicate using a croop, which is a call that sounds like a rough cough. soon

Weather Phenomenon

Bird Droppings: Birds, bats, and pterosaurs all produce droppings from the sky, which can spread disease; thus, it is critical to clean them up correctly. You can use a cleaner designed specifically for bird droppings, but wear protective eyewear and gloves. You can also use disinfectant to loosen the droppings before cleaning.

Ecology

This gregarious bird travels in flocks in a V shape from its winter roosts or cliff breeding places to its feeding grounds. In winter, the flocks can number as many as 100 birds. Ibis frequently graze up to 15 km (9.3 mi) from the colony during the breeding season. While steppe that is not currently under cultivation is favored for feeding, they will also use fallow ground and, on occasion, actively cultivated fields.

Although small mammals, ground-nesting birds, and invertebrates like snails, scorpions, spiders, and caterpillars are also consumed, the northern bald ibis eats a very diverse range of mostly animal foods. A fecal analysis of the Moroccan breeding population revealed that lizards and tenebrionid beetles make up the majority of the diet. Sometimes, males will "scrounge" for food from females. The ibis uses its long bill to feel for food in the loose, sandy soil as the flock moves across the ground. Given that this bird primarily uses probing for hunting, a soft surface appears to be essential, and any vegetation should be sparse and no higher than 15–20 cm (6–8 in).

Behavior

Although not dangerous or aggressive, they can be intimidating due to their large size and long beak. Fecal drops under roost trees and in feeding areas can be smelly and very messy. Avoid giving ibises your scraps as it will start to make them less wary of people, to the point where they can get greedy and snatch food right out of your hand.

Threats and Conservation

Many colonies in Morocco and Algeria remained until the early 20th century, when they started to decrease more quickly. The last colony in Algeria vanished in the late 1980s, despite the fact that the northern bald ibis was long extinct in Europe. The remaining migratory populations in the Atlas Mountains disappeared by 1989, while there were perhaps 38 colonies in Morocco in 1940 and 15 in 1975.

With an estimated 147 breeding pairs in the wild and over 1,000 in captivity as of 2018, the species is listed as endangered by the IUCN. Prior to extensive conservation efforts that protected the breeding grounds in Morocco and even let the birds to spread to other locations, as well as the semi-wild population that was preserved in Turkey and the reintroduction initiatives in Europe, it was regarded as severely endangered.

One of the important species covered under the draft Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) is the northern bald ibis, which also has a comprehensive, globally accepted conservation action plan. Appendix 1 of CITES (the Convention on International trading in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) lists the species as endangered, meaning that commercial trading in the species, including its parts and derivatives, is forbidden.

For numerous centuries, the northern bald ibis has been in decline, at least in part due to unknown natural factors. A number of causes have contributed to the population's more rapid fall over the last century, which saw 98% of the population go between 1900 and 2002. These include the loss of steppe and non-intensive agricultural areas (notably in Morocco), disturbance, pesticide poisoning, dam construction, and severe human persecution, particularly hunting.

The finding of three dead adults from the Turkish colony in Jordan seems to support the idea that excessive pesticide use continues to be a contributing factor in migration-related fatalities. After departing Birecik, these birds were monitored by satellite; they made a brief stay at the Syrian colony before being discovered dead in the Jordanian desert. The autopsy showed that they had really been electrocuted while standing on electricity pylons, despite the initial theory that the cause of death was poison, most likely laid by poultry farmers to eliminate rats.

There are 850 northern bald ibises in zoos around Europe, while another 250 are kept in captivity in North America and Japan. Earlier attempts to release captive-bred birds were unsuccessful and included nearly 150 birds from an aviary at Birecik between 1976 and 1986, 75 from Tel Aviv Zoo in 1983, and an unknown number from a project in Almería, Spain, from 1991 to 1994. The 49 European zoos that keep this species produce 80 to 100 young birds annually.

Except for those in Turkiye, all northern bald ibises kept in zoos are from the western population and were brought in from Morocco. There are three bloodlines: the first dates back to the 1950s and 1960s imports to Zoo Basel, Switzerland; the next are the offspring of birds brought in to populate Rabat Zoo in the 1970s; and the final wild birds were brought to the Naturzoo in Rheine in 1976 and 1978.

Threats: Habitat loss, illegal hunting, and pesticide poisoning (specifically DDT in the 20th century). In the Middle East, war and civil unrest (particularly in Syria) led to the functional extinction of the eastern wild population.
The only truly wild, self-sustaining population is in Morocco (roughly 700 birds). Semi-wild or reintroduced populations exist in Turkey, Spain, and Austria/Germany.

Distribution and Habitat

The northern bald ibis was once widespread across the Middle East, northern Africa, and southern and central Europe; fossil bones have been found at Solothurn dated to the Mesolithic and Neolithic Periods. It bred along the Danube and Rhône Rivers, and in the mountains of Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland (Gesner's original description was of a Swiss bird), and most probably also in the Upper Adriatic region. It used castle battlements as well as cliff ledges for nesting before vanishing from Europe at least three centuries ago. The northern bald ibis became one of the first species in the world to be formally protected in 1504 after Archbishop Leonhard of Salzburg issued a proclamation. They disappeared between 1630 and 1645, having nested in the cliffs, on castles, and on ruins in the Austrian areas of Salzburg and Graz/Steiermark. At noble feasts, young birds were hunted as a delicacy. As in other parts of Europe, it died out in Austria in spite of the ban.

In June 2023, a pair was reported nesting on a commercial building in Rümlang, near Zurich Airport in Switzerland, with two young, the first recorded breeding pair in Switzerland in over 400 years. The adults were reported to have been tracked from the reintroduction project at Überlingen in Germany.

It is also extinct over most of its former range, and now almost the entirety of the wild breeding population of just over 500 birds is in Morocco, at Souss-Massa National Park, where there are three documented colonies, and near the mouth of the Oued Tamri (north of Agadir), where there is a single colony containing almost half the Moroccan breeding population. There is some movement of birds between these two sites.

Religious traditions helped this species to survive in one Turkish colony long after the species had disappeared from Europe, since it was believed that the ibis migrate each year to guide Hajj pilgrims to Mecca. The ibis was protected by its religious significance, and a festival was held annually to celebrate its return north.

Unlike many other ibises, which nest in trees and feed in wetlands, the northern bald ibis breeds on undisturbed cliff ledges, and forages for food in irregularly cultivated, grazed dry areas such as semi-arid steppes, and fallow fields. The close proximity of adequate steppe feeding areas to breeding cliffs is an important habitat requirement.

During The Recollections of Queen Arianna (TROQA) saga in the 2600s and 2700s, the "Sky People," or Terrans from Earth, brought the northern bald ibis to two exoplanets that resembled Earth: Berbania from Ursa Major and Reinachos from Cygnus. Despite the death of our planet, conservation efforts are helping this species recover from endangerment or near extinction. The bald ibis became an invasive species as a result of human interactions for game hunting and rewilding. In two exoplanets that resembled Earth, the northern bald ibis lived in conditions and climates identical to those of Earth.

Movement Pattern: Full Migrant
Individual Type: Solo
Population Trend: Stable
Population: 200-249
Locomotion: Airborne
Habitat: Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests; Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Salt Flats; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Forests; Mushroom Fields; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Mountain; Sky; Warm River; Cold River; Lukewarm River; Radiated Citadel; Volcano; Warm Ghost Town; Cold Ghost Town; Ruined Skyscraper.
Earth:
- Extant (resident): Morocco; Yemen
- Extant (breeding): Syria
- Extant (non-breeding): Eritrea
- Extant (passage): Jordan; Saudi Arabia
- Extant & Reintroduced (breeding): Türkiye
- Extant & Vagrant (non-breeding): Algeria
- Extant & Vagrant (seasonality uncertain): Montenegro; Serbia
- Extant & Vagrant: Cabo Verde; Germany; Mali; Mauritania; Portugal; Somalia; Spain; Western Sahara
- Possibly Extinct: Iraq
- Extinct: Ethiopia; Israel; Senegal; Sudan; Switzerland
- Extinct & Vagrant: Egypt
Berbania/Hirawhassa: none
Reinachos/Ityosel: none
Thatrollwa: none
Sawintir: none
Agarathos: none

Tamed

Two principles must be adhered to in order to tame the ibis. The ibis was repeatedly overdosed on opiates, fed while it slept, then tranquilized with bullets. When an ibis hatches from an egg, it is quickly domesticated since the survivor is always within 17 radii of the egg. You can tame the ibis chick with a worm if it hasn't been tamed before.