"Straw-Necked Ibis

Well I'm off to a good 2014 start...Another "FIRST" My first look at this beautiful coloured Ibis


The Straw-necked Ibis has been called the Farmer's Friend, because it eats crop pests such as grasshoppers and locusts.
Calls
Silent away from nest; grunts or croaks at nest and hoarse rolling calls in flight: 'u-u-uh'.
Facts and Figures
Research Species:
No
Minimum Size:
59cm
Maximum Size:
76cm
Average size:
68cm
Breeding season:
August to January in south; February to May in north
Clutch Size:
Two to five, usually two to three.
Incubation:
25 days
Nestling Period:
35 days

Basic Information
Scientific Name:
Threskiornis spinicollis


Description:

The Straw-necked Ibis is a large waterbird with a naked black head, long down curved black bill and yellow throat plumes. It has a glossy blue-black back, with metallic purple, green and bronze sheen, a white nape and sides of neck and white underparts. Its preference for grassland insects such as grasshoppers and locusts and have got the name " Farmer's Friend".
Similar species:

The straw like neck feathers distinguish the Straw-necked Ibis from other ibises. When flying, it has a white body and black wings, while the Australian White Ibis has a black head with white body and wings.



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