Northern Bald Ibis
Critically Endangered
Population
There are an estimated 510 wild individuals remaining
Size
The species grows to be around 70 to 80 centimetres
Weight
The weight of the species is around 1.0 to 1.3 kilograms
Countries
Morocco, Syria
Distribution
The species is found in the Souss-Massa National Park in Morocco with 3 distinct colonies with the main being near the mouth of the Oued Tamri, north of Agadir containing around half of the wild population. There is also a small population found in the deserts of Syria.
Description
A glossy, black bird the Northern Bald Ibis has a wingspan of around 125 to 135 centimetres. Having black plumage and bronze-green and violet colours through its wings makes it a particularity beautiful and recognisable bird. The species has a ruff of hair on the back of the animal’s neck.
The face is a dull red and sports a long narrow red beak with the rest of the head being bald, not having any feathers, while also having red legs.
Males are generally bigger than females and the size of beak is often what attracts a mate.
Quick Facts
Key behaviour of the Northern Bald Ibis includes:
- The species breeds in loosely based colonies
- The species starts breeding between 3 and 5 years of age
- Males choose the nesting site and will wave his crest and make low grumbling sounds to attract a mate
- 2 to 4 eggs are laid at a time
- Wild animals live for around 10 to 15 years
- The species is known to migrate with tagged individuals being track to the mountains of Ethiopia where they have not been seen for 30 years
The diet of the Russian Sturgeon is made up of smaller fishes such as gobies, anchovies and sprats, crustaceans and molluscs.
The habitat of the Northern Bald Ibis is different to most Ibis where they nest in undisturbed cliff tops and often forage in semi-arid steppes and fallow fields. The breeding cliffs need to be close to the steppes to sustain a population.
The main threats that face the Northern Bald Ibis are:
- Habitat loss
- Hunting
Conservation Efforts
There are many conservation efforts which are aiding the animal becoming Endangered on the vulnerability scale. Monitoring and protection of habitat and providing artifical nesting options are all areas of aid for the species from organisations such as RSPB and SEO/BirdLife in conjunction with the Soussa-Massa National Park.
