3:00 snapshot, #262. also, Daily Zoo Animal #25: hermit ibis

[urbpan]

Our signage calls these "Waldrapp ibises," but most sources seem to call them "Northern Bald Ibises." Another, better common name is "Hermit ibis," which captures their crazy old man appearance. Not surprisingly, their scientific name is Gerontia eremita or "Old man hermit."

Comments

[aemiis-zoo.livejournal.com]

Interesting...I wonder why their heads are naked? Not for the same reason as a turkey vulture's...

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

No, and I asked the assistant curator of Bird's World and he didn't have an answer either. While looking up what it was, I found sites about ibises that pointed out that all ibis species have some amount of bare skin on their head--some have little patches by their eyes, and some have totally naked heads and necks. These guys have the ruff of feathers at the back of the head and neck.

I can only guess that it's like members of the pheasant family, where pheasants have a patch of featherless skin on the side of of the head, chickens have big fleshy combs and wattles, and turkeys are all bald and flappy skin. And in their case it's all about intra-species communication: "I'm male, and parasite-free!" and so on.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Although maybe it's to keep their feathers dry and clean, since they feed by putting their faces into swampy waters.

[aemiis-zoo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I didn't think about turkey wattles & chicken combs, but that makes sense. My friend has an awesome rooster named Pinky, and poor Pinky always has these gnats swarming on his comb. I try to brush them off for him, but they come right back. =(

[bellelvsbeast.livejournal.com]

Ibises are so gorgeous...;)