Green ibis

Last updated

Green ibis
Green ibis (Mesembrinibis cayennensis).JPG
in the Pantanal, Brazil
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Threskiornithidae
Genus: Mesembrinibis
J.L. Peters, 1930
Species:
M. cayennensis
Binomial name
Mesembrinibis cayennensis
(Gmelin, 1789)
Mesembrinibis cayennensis map.svg

The green ibis (Mesembrinibis cayennensis), also known as the Cayenne ibis, is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae. It is the only member of the genus Mesembrinibis.

Contents

This is a resident breeder from Honduras through Nicaragua, Costa Rica and western Panama, and South America to northern Argentina. It undertakes some local seasonal movements in the dry season.

Taxonomy

The green ibis was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae . He placed it in the genus Tantalus and coined the binomial name Tantalus cayennensis. [2] Gmelin based his description on the "Cayenne ibis" that had been described in 1785 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his book A General Synopsis of Birds . [3] Latham had based his own description on the "Le Courlis des Bois " and the "Courly vert, de Cayenne" that the French polymath, the Comte de Buffon had included in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. [4] [5] The green ibis is now the only species placed in the genus Mesembrinibis that was introduced in 1930 by James Lee Peters. [6] [7] The genus name Mesembrinibis is a combination of the Greek word mesēmbrinos, meaning "southern" (from mesēmbria, meaning "south") and ibis. The specific epithet cayennensis means "of Cayenne or French Guiana". [8] The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. [7] The species is also sometimes known as Cayenne ibis. [9]

DNA–DNA hybridization studies show that the species falls squarely into the New World ibis clade, with its closest relatives being the sharp-tailed ibis, the American white ibis and the buff-necked ibis. [10]

Green ibis perched on log in Tortuguero National Park. Green ibis-DeNoiseAI-low-light.jpg
Green ibis perched on log in Tortuguero National Park.

Description

The green ibis is a medium-sized ibis, with short legs and a long, slender, decurved bill. [11] [12] It measures 45–60 cm (18–24 in) in length and ranges from 700 to 890 g (1.5 to 2.0 lb) in mass. [13] The sexes, which are identical in plumage, overlap somewhat in measurements, though the largest birds are male. [13] Breeding adults have glossy greenish-black bodies, pale green legs and bill, and grey bare facial skin patches. Juveniles are much duller, but can be distinguished from the similar glossy ibis by their bulkier shape, shorter legs and broader wings. This species, like other ibises, flies with neck outstretched. Its flight is heavy, with fewer glides and jerkier wingbeats than its relatives.

It has a hollow, hooting, accelerating call, [14] most often heard at dawn and dusk. [15] Transcribed as kro kro or koro koro, the call is described as "mellow". [15]

Similar species

If seen in good light, the green ibis is distinctively dark, and unlikely to be confused with any other ibis. In poor light, however, it might be confused with the glossy ibis; the latter (which is bronzy-maroon in color) has longer legs and a slimmer build. [11]

Distribution and habitat

The green ibis is found from Costa Rica south to northern Argentina and Paraguay. [11] However, there have been sightings from as far north as Honduras, [16] and fossil records show the species formerly occurred as far north as Kansas in the United States. [17] It is found in a variety of forested wetland habitats, particularly swamps and along the edges of rivers and lakes, [14] at altitudes up to 500 m (1,600 ft). [11]

Behaviour

The green ibis is largely crepuscular. [18] Less gregarious than its relatives, it is usually seen alone or in pairs. [14] When it does forage in mixed-species flocks, it tends to remain on the fringes, usually among other green ibises. [19] It regularly perches in trees. [14]

Feeding

Like other ibises, it eats fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as insects.

Breeding

Its nest is a flimsy platform of twigs built high in a tree. [11] It has been recorded harassing sunbitterns nesting in the same tree. [20]

Conservation status and threats

Because of its huge range and large population, the green ibis is rated as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature; however, its numbers do appear to be decreasing. [1] It is at least occasionally hunted (and eaten) by residents of Central and South American countries. [21]

The crested caracara is known to prey on green ibis, with a pair observed chasing and attacking one in flight, driving it to the ground. They killed it by pecking it repeatedly on the head. [22] The green ibis is the type host of a species of bird louse, Plegadiphalus cayennensis. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spoonbill</span> Genus of birds

Spoonbills are a genus, Platalea, of large, long-legged wading birds. The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus name Platalea derives from Ancient Greek and means "broad", referring to the distinctive shape of the bill. Six species are recognised, which although usually placed in a single genus have sometimes been split into three genera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Threskiornithidae</span> Family of birds

The family Threskiornithidae includes 36 species of large wading birds. The family has been traditionally classified into two subfamilies, the ibises and the spoonbills; however recent genetic studies have cast doubt on this arrangement, and have found the spoonbills to be nested within the Old World ibises, and the New World ibises as an early offshoot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bearded barbet</span> Species of bird

The bearded barbet is an African barbet. Barbets are birds with a worldwide tropical distribution, although New World and Old World barbets are placed in different families. The barbets get their name from the bristles which fringe their heavy bills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agami heron</span> Species of bird

The agami heron is a medium-sized heron. It is a resident breeding bird from Central America south to Peru and Brazil. It is sometimes known as the chestnut-bellied heron, and is the only member of the genus Agamia. In Brazil it is sometimes called Soco beija-flor, meaning 'hummingbird heron', thanks to its unique coloration pattern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-lined tanager</span> Species of bird

The white-lined tanager is a medium-sized passerine bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is a resident breeder from Costa Rica south to northern Argentina and on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-breasted martin</span> Species of bird

The grey-breasted martin is a large swallow from Central and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great tinamou</span> Species of bird

The great tinamou is a species of tinamou ground bird native to Central and South America. There are several subspecies, mostly differentiated by their coloration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser swallow-tailed swift</span> Species of bird

The lesser swallow-tailed swift or Cayenne swift is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found from southern Mexico through Central America; in every mainland South America country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay; and on Trinidad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern bald ibis</span> Species of bird

The southern bald ibis is a large bird found in open grassland or semi-desert in the mountains of southern Africa. Taxonomically, it is most closely related to its counterpart in the northern regions of Africa, the waldrapp. As a species, it has a very restricted homerange, limited to the southern tips of South Africa in highland and mountainous regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazonian black-throated trogon</span> Species of bird

The Amazonian black-throated trogon is a bird in the trogon family, Trogonidae. Although it is also called "yellow-bellied trogon" it is not the only trogon with a yellow belly. It breeds in lowlands of Amazonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangrove cuckoo</span> Species of bird

The mangrove cuckoo is a species of cuckoo that is native to the Neotropics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buff-necked ibis</span> Species of bird

The buff-necked ibis, also known as the white-throated ibis, is a fairly large ibis found widely in open habitats of eastern and northern South America. It formerly included the similar black-faced ibis as a subspecies, but that species is almost entirely restricted to colder parts of South America, has a buff lower chest, and lacks the contrasting large white wing-patches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capped heron</span> Species of bird

The capped heron is a water bird endemic to the neotropics, inhabiting rainforest from the center of Panama to the south of Brazil. It is the only species of the genus Pilherodius, and one of the least known of the heron family, Ardeidae. It is superficially similar to the group of the night herons, but is active during daytime or at twilight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufescent tiger heron</span> Species of bird

The rufescent tiger heron is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae. It is found in wetlands from Central America through much of South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zigzag heron</span> Species of bird

The zigzag heron is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae, also including egrets and bitterns. It is in the monotypic genus Zebrilus. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical swamps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guianan puffbird</span> Species of bird

The Guianan puffbird is a species of bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the white-necked puffbird and the buff-bellied puffbird with the English name "white-necked puffbird".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-tailed nightjar</span> Species of bird

The white-tailed nightjar is a species of nightjar in the family Caprimulgidae. It is found in the tropic regions of Central and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-throated caracara</span> Species of bird

The red-throated caracara is a social species of bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is placed in the monotypic genus Ibycter, or sometimes united in Daptrius with the black caracara. Unique among caracaras, it mainly feeds on the larvae of bees and wasps, but also takes the adult insects and fruits and berries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-faced ibis</span> Species of bird

The black-faced ibis is a species of bird in the family Threskiornithidae. It is found in grassland and fields in southern and western South America. It has been included as a subspecies of the similar buff-necked ibis, but today all major authorities accept the split. The black-faced ibis also includes the Andean ibis as a subspecies. Some taxonomic authorities still do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-headed antbird</span> Species of bird

The black-headed antbird is a species of passerine bird in the antbird family Thamnophilidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Mesembrinibis cayennensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22697460A93614511. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22697460A93614511.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1789). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 2 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 652.
  3. Latham, John (1785). A General Synopsis of Birds. Vol. 3, Part 1. London: Printed for Leigh and Sotheby. p. 107.
  4. Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de; Martinet, François-Nicolas; Daubenton, Edme-Louis; Daubenton, Louis-Jean-Marie (1765–1783). "Courly vert, de Cayenne". Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. Vol. xx. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. Plate 820.
  5. Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de (1781). "Le Courlis des Bois". Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux (in French). Vol. 8. Paris: De l'Imprimerie Royale. pp. 43–44.
  6. Peters, James L. (1930). "The type species of the avian genus Harpiprion". Occasional Papers of the Boston Society of Natural History. 5: 255–256 [256].
  7. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2022). "Ibis, spoonbills, herons, Hamerkop, Shoebill, pelicans". IOC World Bird List Version 12.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  8. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp.  251, 95. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  9. Matheu & del Hoyo 1992, p. 500.
  10. Sheldon, Frederick H.; Slikas, Beth (1997). "Advances in Ciconiiform Systematics 1976-1996". Colonial Waterbirds. 20 (1): 106–114. doi:10.2307/1521772. JSTOR   1521772.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Hilty, Steven L. (2003). Birds of Venezuela. Princeton, New Jersey, US: Princeton University Press. p. 217. ISBN   1400834090.
  12. Henderson, Carrol (2010) [2002]. Birds of Costa Rica: A Field Guide. Austin, TX, US: University of Texas Press. p. 60. ISBN   978-0-292-71965-1.
  13. 1 2 Hancock, James; Kushlan, James A.; Kahl, M. Philip (1992). Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills of the World. London, United Kingdom: Academic Press. p. 189. ISBN   978-1-4081-3500-6.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Schulenberg, Thomas S.; Stotz, Douglas F.; Lane, Daniel F.; O'Neill, John P.; Parker III, Theodore A. (2007). Birds of Peru. Princeton, New Jersey, US: Princeton University Press. p. 80. ISBN   978-0-691-13023-1.
  15. 1 2 Ridgely, Robert S.; Gwynne, John A. (1989). A Guide to the Birds of Panama: With Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Princeton, New Jersey, US: Princeton University Press. pp. 75–76. ISBN   0691025126.
  16. Marcus, Mickey J. (July 1983). "Additions to the Avifauna of Honduras" (PDF). The Auk . 100 (3): 621–629. doi:10.1093/auk/100.3.621. JSTOR   4086463 . Retrieved 3 December 2015.
  17. Collins, Charles T. (March 1964). "Fossil Ibises from the Rexroad Fauna of the Upper Pliocene of Kansas" (PDF). The Wilson Bulletin . 76 (1): 43–49.
  18. Heckman, Charles W. (1998). The Pantanal of Poconé. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 324. ISBN   978-0-7923-4863-4.
  19. Frederick, Peter C.; Bildstein, Keith L. (March 1992). "Foraging Ecology of Seven Species of Neotropical Ibises (Threskiornithidae) during the Dry Season in the Llanos of Venezuela" (PDF). The Wilson Bulletin . 104 (1): 1–21. JSTOR   4163112.
  20. Thomas, Betsy Trent; Strahl, Stuart D. (August 1990). "Nesting behavior of Sunbitterns in Venezuela" (PDF). The Condor . 92 (3): 576–581. doi:10.2307/1368675. JSTOR   1368675 . Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  21. Silvius, Kirsten M.; Bodmer, Richard E.; Fragoso, Jos M. V., eds. (2004). People in Nature: Wildlife Conservation in South and Central America. New York, New York, US: Columbia University Press. p. 350. ISBN   978-0-231-12782-0.
  22. de Godoy, Fernando Igor; Macarrão, Arthur; Costa, Julio César (June 2020). "Hunting behaviour of Southern Caracara Caracara plancus on medium-sized birds". Cotinga. 42: 28–30.
  23. Emerson, K. C.; Price, Roger D. (September 1969). "A New Species of Plegadiphilus (Mallophaga: Menoponidae) from the Cayenne Ibis". The Florida Entomologist. 52 (3): 161–163. doi:10.2307/3493851. JSTOR   3493851.

Cited books