Madagascan Ibis

Schopfibis in the Bronx Zoo

The Schopfibis or Mähnenibis ( Lophotibis cristata ) is a bird of the family of the ibises and spoonbills. He is the only member of the genus Lophotibis and comes in two subspecies endemic to the island of Madagascar.

Subspecies

• L. c. cristata ( Boddaert, 1783)
• L. c. urschi ( Lavauden, 1929)

Appearance

The Schopfibis is about 50 cm tall. The ground color of the plumage is brown to black-brown, the front half of the wings white. The head is black with greenish metallic sheen and a bare red field behind the beak and around the eye. On the back are crested feathers, which are black with white units. The downwardly curved beak is yellowish.

Food and foraging

The food of Schopfibis consists of insects and their larvae, worms, snails and their eggs, grasshoppers, spiders, more rarely, from small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. The food addiction of birds in pairs or small groups border and its beak poking deep in the forest floor.

Reproduction

The breeding season is during the rainy season, from September to January. The large nests are made ​​of twigs, grass and leaves on horizontal branches or crotches in trees. The nest consists of two or three eggs.