Australian Ibis: how to recognise it
A bird of Asia and Oceania. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Tim · CC BY · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Threskiornis molucca
- Family
- Ibises and Spoonbills
- Size
- About 70 cm
- Habitat
- Wetlands, farmland, parks and towns
- Found in
- Asia and Oceania
The key marks
White ibis with a bare black head and neck, a long curved black bill and black plumes on the rump. White Ibis of the Americas has a red face, a pinkish-red bill and red legs, with black only on the wing tips.
Voice
Mostly silent; low croaks and grunts.
Good to know
Common in Australian cities, where it scavenges in parks and bins and is nicknamed the 'bin chicken'.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the White Ibis. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in wetlands, farmland, parks and towns. It is especially common in Australia. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.