lagoon creek - straw-necked ibis
Many thanks for the visits, faves and comments. Cheers
Straw-necked Ibis
Scientific Name: Threskiornis spinicollis
Description: The Straw-necked Ibis is a large waterbird with a naked black head, long downcurved 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 have earnt it the name of Farmer's Friend.
Similar species: The strawlike neck feathers distinguish the Straw-necked Ibis from other ibises. When flying, it has a white body and black wings, while the Australian White Ibishas a black head with white body and wings.
Distribution: The Straw-necked Ibis is found across mainland Australia. It is vagrant to Tasmania and is also found in Indonesia, New Guinea, Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island.
Habitat: The Straw-necked Ibis prefers wet and dry grasslands, pastures, croplands and swamp or lagoon margins. It is rarely found on coastal shores, mudflats or mangroves and is generally less adaptable than the Australian White Ibis.
Seasonal movements: Highly nomadic, moving in search of suitable habitat.
Feeding: The Straw-necked Ibis feeds mainly on terrestrial invertebrates, especially grasshoppers and locusts. It will also take frogs, small reptiles and mammals. It forages by probing or takes prey from the surface of water bodies. It is rarely an opportunistic scavenger, unlike the Australian White Ibis. The Straw-necked Ibis has been called the Farmer's Friend, because it eats crop pests such as grasshoppers and locusts.
Breeding: The Straw-necked Ibis forms large breeding colonies, often with Australian White Ibises. The low nests are large trampled platforms of reeds, rushes and sticks over water, often blending together to form one continuous platform, and are re-used over many years. Both sexes build nests, incubate eggs and feed the young.
Calls: Silent away from nest; grunts or croaks at nest and hoarse rolling calls in flight: 'u-u-uh'.
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
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)
© Chris Burns 2025
__________________________________________
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.
lagoon creek - straw-necked ibis
Many thanks for the visits, faves and comments. Cheers
Straw-necked Ibis
Scientific Name: Threskiornis spinicollis
Description: The Straw-necked Ibis is a large waterbird with a naked black head, long downcurved 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 have earnt it the name of Farmer's Friend.
Similar species: The strawlike neck feathers distinguish the Straw-necked Ibis from other ibises. When flying, it has a white body and black wings, while the Australian White Ibishas a black head with white body and wings.
Distribution: The Straw-necked Ibis is found across mainland Australia. It is vagrant to Tasmania and is also found in Indonesia, New Guinea, Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island.
Habitat: The Straw-necked Ibis prefers wet and dry grasslands, pastures, croplands and swamp or lagoon margins. It is rarely found on coastal shores, mudflats or mangroves and is generally less adaptable than the Australian White Ibis.
Seasonal movements: Highly nomadic, moving in search of suitable habitat.
Feeding: The Straw-necked Ibis feeds mainly on terrestrial invertebrates, especially grasshoppers and locusts. It will also take frogs, small reptiles and mammals. It forages by probing or takes prey from the surface of water bodies. It is rarely an opportunistic scavenger, unlike the Australian White Ibis. The Straw-necked Ibis has been called the Farmer's Friend, because it eats crop pests such as grasshoppers and locusts.
Breeding: The Straw-necked Ibis forms large breeding colonies, often with Australian White Ibises. The low nests are large trampled platforms of reeds, rushes and sticks over water, often blending together to form one continuous platform, and are re-used over many years. Both sexes build nests, incubate eggs and feed the young.
Calls: Silent away from nest; grunts or croaks at nest and hoarse rolling calls in flight: 'u-u-uh'.
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
(Source: www.birdsinbackyards.net)
© Chris Burns 2025
__________________________________________
All rights reserved.
This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying and recording without my written consent.