White-shouldered Ibis
Encyclopedia
The White-shouldered Ibis, Pseudibis davisoni, is a species of wading bird
of the ibis
family, Threskiornithidae
. It occurs at a few sites in northern Cambodia
, southern Vietnam
, extreme southern Laos
and East Kalimantan
in Indonesia
.
The White-shouldered Ibis occurs in lake
s, pools, marsh
es and slow-flowing river
s in open lowland forest
. It also inhabits sparsely wooded, dry or wet grassland
s and wide rivers with sand and gravel bars.
Adults are typically 75-85 cm long, dark plumage
d, with a distinctive pale collar which at close range appears bluish. The bald head is black, the legs are red, and it has a whitish patch on the inner forewing, which gives the bird its name.
Due to small population size and ongoing habitat loss through logging of lowland forests and drainage of wetlands for agriculture
, the White-shouldered Ibis is evaluated as Critically Endangered
on the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species. The current world population was estimated to be less than 250, possibly as low as 49, although a 2009 survey of the species has counted 310 individuals. In 2010 a record 429 was found in Cambodia, of which more than 170 birds in Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary. This site is now the second most important place in the world for this species. With a known population of over 200ex western Siem Pang IBA is the first.
The binomial commemorates William Ruxton Davison
.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
of the ibis
Ibis
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....
family, Threskiornithidae
Threskiornithidae
The family Threskiornithidae includes 34 species of large terrestrial and wading birds, falling into two subfamilies, the ibises and the spoonbills. It was formerly known as Plataleidae. The spoonbills and ibises were once thought to be related to other groups of long-legged wading birds in the...
. It occurs at a few sites in northern Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, southern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, extreme southern Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and East Kalimantan
East Kalimantan
East Kalimantan is the second largest Indonesian province, located on the Kalimantan region on the east of Borneo island. The resource-rich province has two major cities, Samarinda and Balikpapan...
in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
.
The White-shouldered Ibis occurs in lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s, pools, marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es and slow-flowing river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s in open lowland forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
. It also inhabits sparsely wooded, dry or wet grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s and wide rivers with sand and gravel bars.
Adults are typically 75-85 cm long, dark plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
d, with a distinctive pale collar which at close range appears bluish. The bald head is black, the legs are red, and it has a whitish patch on the inner forewing, which gives the bird its name.
Due to small population size and ongoing habitat loss through logging of lowland forests and drainage of wetlands for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, the White-shouldered Ibis is evaluated as Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....
on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of Threatened Species. The current world population was estimated to be less than 250, possibly as low as 49, although a 2009 survey of the species has counted 310 individuals. In 2010 a record 429 was found in Cambodia, of which more than 170 birds in Lomphat Wildlife Sanctuary. This site is now the second most important place in the world for this species. With a known population of over 200ex western Siem Pang IBA is the first.
The binomial commemorates William Ruxton Davison
William Ruxton Davison
William Ruxton Davison was a British ornithologist and collector.Davison was the curator of the Raffles Museum in Singapore from 1887 to 1893. Prior to this Davison worked as a collector for Allan Octavian Hume. He travelled on behalf of Hume in Tenasserim in the 1870s and collected 8,600 specimens...
.