The glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a water bird in the order Pelecaniformes and the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The scientific name derives from Ancient Greek plegados and Latin, falcis, both meaning "sickle" and referring to the distinctive shape of the bill.

The historical name black curlew was used for the glossy ibis in Norfolk at least until the early 19th century, It is thought to have originated in the Old World and spread naturally from Africa to northern South America in the 19th century, from where it spread to North America. Birds from other populations may disperse widely outside the breeding season. It is increasing in Europe, after earlier major declines in the 19th and early 20th centuries due to uncontrolled heavy hunting pressure and habitat loss. Birds which arrived in Great Britain and Ireland were routinely shot as trophies until the 1920s, when attitudes started to change. It disappeared as a regular breeding bird in Spain in the early 20th century, but with legal protection re-established itself in 1993 and has since rapidly increased with thousands of pairs in several colonies. It has also established rapidly increasing breeding colonies in France, a country with very few breeding records before the 2000s. However, in Italy, where illegal hunting has been a continuing problem despite legal protection since 1977, the increase in the population has been markedly lower with only 10–50 pairs breeding. For example, there appears to be a growing trend for birds to winter in Britain and Ireland, with at least 22 sightings in 2010. A few birds now spend most summers in Ireland, but there is no present evidence of breeding. In New Zealand, a few birds arrive there annually, mostly in the month of July; recently a pair bred amongst a colony of royal spoonbill. Glossy ibis have been a breeding species in Australia since the 1930s. In India, they are now a breeding species with colonies now seen in agricultural areas, in forested areas with bamboo thickets and breeding alongside other colonially nesting waterbirds. Year-long studies have also shown glossy ibises to be foraging in agricultural wetlands and flooded farmlands in western India. Numbers of glossy ibis in western India varied dramatically seasonally with the highest numbers being seen in the winter and summers, and drastically declining in the monsoon likely indicating local movements to a suitable area to breed.

Breeding

thumb|right|An adult Glossy Ibis feeding its young.

Further reading

  • Glossy Ibis - The Atlas of Southern African Birds
  • Glossy Ibis Species Account – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  • Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus - eNature.com
  • Field guide photo page on Flickr
  • http://bo.adu.org.za/pdf/BO_2016_07-101.pdf