Bird Album
White-shouldered Ibis
Pseudibis davisoni (Hume, 1875)
≈86 cmLength1.6 kgWeight
The adult has rufous-black feathers, a bare head and a blue-white collar.
Busiest months: January–February · Most records: Cambodia, Vietnam
How to identify
Field marks
- Adult rufous-black, with a blue-black metallic gloss on the wings and tail
- Bare adult head can be slate-black
- Blue-white collar, sometimes pure white
- Prominent white patch on the upperwing in flight
Male, female and young
The male is slightly larger, with a slightly longer bill; juveniles are dull brown, with a tuft of brown feathers on the nape and pale yellow legs and feet.
Voice
Loud, plaintive calls described as strange shrieks.
Where and when it's recorded
White-shouldered Ibis has been recorded at 13 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 2 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.
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 white-shouldered ibis (Pseudibis davisoni) is a large species of bird in the family Threskiornithidae. It is native to small regions of Southeast Asia, and is considered to be one of the most threatened bird species on this part of the continent.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the White-shouldered Ibis?
The White-shouldered Ibis is about ≈86 cm long and weighs around 1.6 kg.
Where does the White-shouldered Ibis live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: southern Indochina and Borneo. It is most often recorded in Cambodia and Vietnam.
When is the best time to see the White-shouldered Ibis?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January and February (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the White-shouldered Ibis endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the White-shouldered Ibis as Critically Endangered.
What does the White-shouldered Ibis eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the White-shouldered Ibis in?
It belongs to the family Ibises, Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae), order Pelecaniformes.
At a glance
- Length
- ≈86 cm
- Weight
- 1.6 kg
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Critically Endangered
More measurements
- Wing
- 407 mm
- Tail
- 200 mm
- Bill
- 171 mm
- Tarsus
- 85 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: southern Indochina and Borneo
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Ibises, Spoonbills Threskiornithidae
- Genus
- Pseudibis
Other birds in the genus Pseudibis
Red-naped IbisPseudibis papillosa
Giant IbisPseudibis gigantea
African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
Malagasy Sacred IbisThreskiornis bernieri
Black-headed IbisThreskiornis melanocephalus
Australian White IbisThreskiornis molucca
Straw-necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollis
Northern Bald IbisGeronticus eremita
Southern Bald IbisGeronticus calvus
Crested IbisNipponia nippon
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by David Beadle. ↗
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