#Northern Bald Ibis

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Remember the 1996 movie Fly Away Home? In it orphaned geese were shown where to migrate as their caretaker flew an ultralight aircraft. Based on a true story, it has since inspired other conservation efforts involving migratory birds, in this case the northern bald ibis (Geronticus eremita).

Because migratory birds learn their migration routes from their parents, attempts to simply let a captive-raised batch find their own way by instinct ended in failure. Instead, ibis conservationists allow the newly hatched ibis chicks to imprint on their human caretakers, who then fly along for the aircraft-led migration the following autumn.

The species went extinct in Europe three centuries ago, and numbers have plummeted elsewhere in their range across the Middle East and northern Africa, largely from a combination of a slow rate of reproduction, habitat loss, and overhunting for food. In fact, between 1900 and 2000 the number of northern bald ibis dropped by 98%.

Efforts to protect wild and semi-wild populations in Morocco and Turkey have met with success, while human conflicts in Syria have hampered ibis conservation activities. The reintroduction of ibises from European will help bolster numbers in their historic range. Moreover, there are plans to reintroduce ibises at historic breeding grounds in Morocco. With only a few thousands remaining in the wild and in captivity, any gains in northern bald ibis numbers will be worth celebrating.

[lyadrielle]

And another punk birb! This one is a northern bald ibis. :D

[threskiorni]

Adele 245 in Burghausen

My beautiful girl, I'm so glad you came to see me before I had to go home. I didn't know it was you when I took this photo because the sunlight was so bright. Now you're resting in Salzburg before you fly south.

Adele is the bird I've been sponsoring since 2018, shortly after she hatched. If you're interested in supporting the Waldrappteam, you can find out more on their website.

[etchif]

waldrapp

[fullfrontalbirds]

Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita)

© Fernando Portillo de Cea

[cypherdecypher]

Animal of the Day!

Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita)

(Photo by Richard Bartz)

Conservation Status- Endangered

Habitat- Morocco; Turkey

Size (Weight/Length)- 1.3 kg; 80 cm

Diet- Insects; Reptiles; Snails; Scorpions; Small mammals

Cool Facts- The Northern bald ibis could once be found across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa but hunting and persecution has driven this bird to near extinction. With less than 700 birds in the wild and 2,000 in captive breeding programs, efforts to reintroduce these non-wading ibis are intensive. The Northern bald ibis live in small groups on cliff ledges and arid steppes as they search for insects and small mammals. These ibis have a close connection with Mediterranean culture. In Ancient Egypt, these birds were sacred and considered the embodiment of Thoth. Greek Stymphalian birds were possibly based on Northern bald ibis. In Turkey, these ibis are symbols of fertility and were thought to be the first animal released from Noah’s Ark.

Rating- 13/10 (A conservation success story in the making.)

[sssnapspics]

Please help to save lost Northern Bald Ibises!

I'm not asking for money! Just sighting reports (Germany, Denmark, Sweden).

They are a bit smaller than geese and look like this:

^ This is Enrico, one of the birds who got lost. When I posted this he was near Hamburg/Lübeck.

The birds are part of a project to reintroduce wild populations of highly endangered Northern Bald Ibises to Europe. Raised in southern Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, they usually migrate to Italy in autumn and spend winter there. Adolescent birds learn the route from experienced birds, but this year a group of adolescents flew north (to Scandinavia) by themselves.

Some of these are still up north. Now that winter has arrived the situation is getting dire for them and members of the project are trying to catch the birds to keep them safe this winter.

Most of them don't have trackers, so sighting reports are crucial!

If you see them, please report the sighting with their exact location via WhatsApp to:

Daniela Trobe 0043 660 14 27 204 or

Corinna Esterer 0043 660 50 33 511

Current (1.12.2023) approximate locations of birds who do have trackers: 3 in Schleswig-Holstein and one near Frankfurt in Germany, one near Varde in Denmark, one south of Jönköping in Sweden. But there are ca 20 birds that could be anywhere in the area between Jönköping, Denmark, Germany, and maybe western Czechia.

TL;DR Adolescent birds lost somewhere in (northern) Germany, Denmark, and southern Sweden. If you see them, please report the sighting with exact location!

[jablye]

Decided to create another card as a pair to the previous one ;D Northern bald ibis is quite a uniqie bird!

[ridiculousbirdfaces]

Bald Headed Ibis by Olwyn McEwen Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita)

[purpleweredragon]

[ID: Rough colour portrait art of a Northern Bald Ibis, a bird with a pink bald face, long, downward curving beak and dark feathers (with purple and green iridescence on the wings). She has a ring of pale yellow light behind her, like a halo. [reference pic here]

Quick sketch in honour of Gipsy, an endangered Northern Bald Ibis who was senselessly killed in Croatia after having been released there as part of a reintroduction programme.

Almost exactly a year ago Gispy was found dead, later found to be by a traumatic head injury caused by blunt force trauma. Despite the necropsy's findings, police told the media the she had died of a stroke. Her killer(s) never faced justice. Years before ibises had been similarly (illegally) killed, without facing criminal charges.

[kosherkirby]

Waldrapp Ibis ft. Duck in the back

[bjekkergauken]

Ibis contrasts

[threskiorni]

Waldrapp 034 Francesco in Burghausen

Francesco hatched in 2013 and you can track his location with the Animal Tracker app. He is currently in Burghausen. This photo was taken during my first visit there in 2016. I'm really looking forward to visiting the birds and the Waldrappteam again in a few days.

[fehlerhaftekunst]

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[nature-nerd-sarah]

Posting birds until I hit post limit: Northern bald ibis