Southern Bald Ibis
Geronticus calvus (Boddaert, 1783)
1.2 kgWeight
The southern bald ibis (Geronticus calvus) is a large bird found in open grassland or semi-desert in the mountains of southern Africa.
Busiest months: October–November · Most records: South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: October–November · Most records: South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini
Southern Bald Ibis has been recorded at 36 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Wakkerstroom areaSouth Africa270 records
- Sani Pass (LS) to Black MountainsLesotho164 records
- Sani PassLesotho154 records
More places
- Wakkerstroom Wetland NRSouth Africa103 records
- Sani Pass (ZA) – low elevationSouth Africa72 records
- Malolotja Nature ReserveEswatini68 records
- Wakkerstroom Wetland NR – bridge/causewaySouth Africa44 records
- Midmar Dam – South ShoreSouth Africa43 records
- Black Mountains – EastLesotho29 records
- Mlilwane Wildlife SanctuaryEswatini27 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The southern bald ibis (Geronticus calvus) 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 (Geronticus eremita). As a species, it has a very restricted homerange, limited to the southern tips of South Africa in highland and mountainous regions.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Southern Bald Ibis?
The Southern Bald Ibis weighs around 1.2 kg.
Where does the Southern Bald Ibis live?
Its breeding range: Africa: South Africa. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini.
When is the best time to see the Southern Bald Ibis?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Southern Bald Ibis endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Southern Bald Ibis as Near Threatened.
What does the Southern Bald Ibis eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Southern Bald Ibis in?
It belongs to the family Ibises, Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae), order Pelecaniformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 1.2 kg
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Near Threatened
More measurements
- Wing
- 388 mm
- Tail
- 197 mm
- Bill
- 151 mm
- Tarsus
- 74 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: South Africa
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Ibises, Spoonbills Threskiornithidae
- Genus
- Geronticus
Other birds in the genus Geronticus
Northern Bald IbisGeronticus eremita
African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
Malagasy Sacred IbisThreskiornis bernieri
Black-headed IbisThreskiornis melanocephalus
Australian White IbisThreskiornis molucca
Straw-necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollis
Red-naped IbisPseudibis papillosa
White-shouldered IbisPseudibis davisoni
Giant IbisPseudibis gigantea
Crested IbisNipponia nippon
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by markus lilje. ↗
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