Giant Ibis

Riesenibis ( Pseudibis gigantea )

The Riesenibis ( Pseudibis gigantea ) ( synonym: Thaumatibis gigantea ) belongs to the subfamily of ibises in the family of ibises and spoonbills and lives in Southeast Asia.

Appearance

The Riesenibis is strikingly large with 102-106 cm. The plumage is predominantly black, the bald head gray, silver gray wings. The neck is narrow schwarzgebändert. The legs are red, the curved beak yellow green, dark red eyes. Young birds have short black feathers on the back of the head, the beak is shorter, the eyes are brown. The call is a loud "ä - lörk, ä - lörk ", which is usually heard at sunrise and sunset.

Dissemination

The Riesenibis was once widely distributed in southern Indochina, in southeastern Thailand and the Thai part of the Malay Peninsula. Today, the incidence of Riesenibis on the northern Cambodia and the extreme south of Laos and the Yok Don National Park in South Vietnam is limited. The total population is estimated by the IUCN to about 100 pairs and categorized as " critically endangered ". The population decline is attributed to the chase, the draining of wetlands and deforestation. Protection measures in Cambodia and Laos have been initiated. Especially trying to limit the hunting of large water birds.

Habitat

The Riesenibis lives in wetlands, temporarily flooded meadows and fields, open forests near water, but also ponds in dense forest areas. It nests in trees, especially on large two wings fruit trees ( Dipterocarpus ), where he maintains a minimum distance of about 4 km to human settlements.

Food

He studied in small groups for food and feeds mainly on crustaceans, worms, molluscs, large insects, snails, and small amphibians and reptiles.