Ibisbill
From Devonshire
The Ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii) is a bird related to the waders, but sufficiently distinctive to merit its own family Ibidorhynchidae. It lives on the shingle riverbanks of the high plateau of central Asia and the Himalayas.
Description
This bird is quite unmistakable. The adult is grey with a white belly, red legs and long down-curved bill, and a black face and black breast band. The young birds lack the black on the face and breast, and the bill is duller. The legs are bright red in the breeding adults and dull sepia in juveniles. In spite of its spectacular appearance it is inconspicuous in its stony environment.
The call is a ringing Klew-klew similar to that of a Greenshank.
They feed by probing under rocks or gravel on stream beds.[1] Their favourite prey are invertebrates such as caddisfly and mayfly larvae that hide under boulders in streams.[2]
It lays four eggs in a scrape on the ground.
The evolutionary relationship of the family is still unclear. It may be related to both the oystercatchers and the avocets.[3]
The Ibisbill can be very difficult to spot when its feeding quietly midstream or rest among rocks because of its grey plumage provides a surprising degree of camouflage.[4] It breeds in high mountains such as the Glennshire Mountain.
References
- 1: Marchant, J., Prater, T. and P. Hayman (1986) Shorebirds: an identification guide to the waders of the world. Christopher Helm.
- 2: Pierce, Raymond J (1986) Observations on behaviour and foraging of the Ibisbill Ibidorhyncha struthersii in Nepal. Ibis 128(1):37-47 doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1986.tb02090.x
- 3: Allan J Baker, Sérgio L Pereira, and Tara A Paton (2007) Phylogenetic relationships and divergence times of Charadriiformes genera: multigene evidence for the Cretaceous origin of at least 14 clades of shorebirds. Biol. Lett. 3:205-210 doi:10.1098/rsbl.2006.0606
- 4: Frances, Peter. Bird: the Definitive Visual Guide. New York. DK Limited. 2007.
