Scarlet Ibis
Scharlachsichler
Birds of Eden is the world's largest free flight aviary and bird sanctuary, located near Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape, South Africa. The mesh dome of the sanctuary was built over 2.3 hectares (5.7 acres) of indigenous forest, and is up to 55 metres (180 ft) above ground level. 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) of walkways, about 75% of which are elevated, let visitors see the birds at all levels of the aviary.
Birds of Eden is one of the three Sanctuaries under The South African Animal Sanctuary Alliance (SAASA). As a member of SAASA Birds of Eden was honoured with four major Tourism awards in 2014. The four awards are namely the Lilizela Tourism Visitor Experience of the Year Award at a 'Wildlife Encounters', the Skål International Sustainable Tourism Award, Overall winner of the World Responsible Tourism Award as well as the Gold Award in World Responsible Tourism in the category of 'Best Animal Welfare Initiative'.
The 2.3-hectare (5.7-acre) enclosure is covered 3.2 hectares (7.9 acres) of wire mesh resting on cables strung between 28 masts. The masts vary in length between 2 and 34 metres (6 ft 7 in and 111 ft 7 in) and at its highest point the mesh is 55 metres (180 ft) above the ground. The total weight of the wire mesh is about 80 tonnes, and it encloses a total volume of 375,372 cubic metres (13,256,100 cu ft).
Visitors can access the aviary through about 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) of walkways, about 75% of which are elevated to let them see the birds in all areas of the aviary. Visitors can tour the facility on their own, or take a guided tour.
The enclosure was built over indigenous forest and includes a natural gorge with a waterfall, and a 200-seat amphitheater.
In 2014 the sanctuary was home to about 3500 birds representing more than 200 species.
(Wikipedia)
The scarlet ibis, sometimes called red ibis, (Eudocimus ruber) is a species of ibis in the bird family Threskiornithidae. It inhabits tropical South America and part of the Caribbean. In form, it resembles most of the other twenty-seven extant species of ibis, but its remarkably brilliant scarlet coloration makes it unmistakable. It is one of the two national birds of Trinidad and Tobago, and its Tupi–Guarani name, guará, is part of the name of several municipalities along the coast of Brazil.
This medium-sized wader is a hardy, numerous, and prolific bird, and it has protected status around the world. Its IUCN status is Least Concern. The legitimacy of Eudocimus ruber as a biological classification, however, is in dispute. Traditional Linnaean taxonomy classifies it as a unique species, but some scientists have moved to reclassify it as a subspecies of a more general American ibis species, along with its close relative, the American white ibis (Eudocimus albus).
Taxonomy
The species was first classified by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Initially given the binomial nomenclature of Scolopax rubra (the name incorporates the Latin adjective ruber, "red"), the species was later designated Guara rubra and ultimately Eudocimus ruber.
Biologically the scarlet ibis is very closely related to the American white ibis (Eudocimus albus) and is sometimes considered conspecific with it, leaving modern science divided over their taxonomy. The two birds each have exactly the same bones, claws, beaks, feather arrangements and other features – their one marked difference lies in their pigmentation. Traditional taxonomy has regarded the two as separate and distinct.
Early ornithological field research revealed no natural crossbreeding among the red and white, lending support to the two-species viewpoint. More recent observation, however, has documented significant crossbreeding and hybridization in the wild. Researchers Cristina Ramo and Benjamin Busto found evidence of interbreeding in a population where the ranges of the scarlet and white ibises overlap along the coast and in the Llanos in Colombia and Venezuela. They observed individuals of the two species mating and pairing, as well as hybrid ibises with pale orange plumage, or white plumage with occasional orange feathers, and have proposed that these birds be classified as a single species.[4] Hybridization has been known to occur frequently in captivity. However, the two color forms persist in the wild despite overlapping ranges and hybrid offspring having a distinctive color type, so according to the cohesion species concept they would be functionally different species.
Some biologists now wish to pair them with Eudocimus albus as two subspecies of the same American ibis. Others simply define both of them as one and the same species, with ruber being a color variation of albus.
Description
Adult plumage is virtually all scarlet. The feathers may show various tints and shades, but only the tips of their wings deviate from their namesake color. A small but reliable marking, these wingtips are a rich inky black (or occasionally dark blue) and are found only on the longest primaries[ – otherwise the birds' coloration is "a vivid orange-red, almost luminous in quality." Scarlet ibises have red bills and feet however the bill is sometimes blackish, especially toward the end. They have a long, narrow, decurved bill. Their legs and neck are long and extended in flight.
A juvenile scarlet ibis is a mix of grey, brown, and white. As it grows, a heavy diet of red crustaceans produces the scarlet coloration. The color change begins with the juvenile's second moult, around the time it begins to fly: the change starts on the back and spreads gradually across the body while increasing in intensity over a period of about two years. The scarlet ibis is the only shorebird with red coloration in the world.
Adults are 55–63 centimetres (22–25 in) long, and the males, slightly larger than females, typically weigh about 1.4 kilograms (3.1 lb). Their bills are also on average around 22% longer than those of females. The life span of the scarlet ibis is approximately sixteen years in the wild and twenty years in captivity. An adult scarlet ibis has a wingspan of around 54 centimetres (21 in). Though it spends most of its time on foot or wading through water, the bird is a very strong flyer: they are highly migratory and easily capable of long-distance flight. They move as flocks in a classic V formation.
Distribution and habitat
The range of the scarlet ibis is very large, and colonies are found throughout vast areas of South America and the Caribbean islands. Native flocks exist in Brazil; Colombia; French Guiana; Guyana; Suriname; and Venezuela, as well as the islands of the Netherlands Antilles, and Trinidad and Tobago. Flocks gather in wetlands and other marshy habitats, including mud flats, shoreline and rainforest. Outlying colonies have been identified in the coastal areas of the states of Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo (for example in the Santos-Cubatão mangroves of the Baixada Santista district), Paraná and Santa Catarina. In recent years, bird colonies can be seen as far south as in the coastal areas of Joinville and the island of São Francisco do Sul.
The highest concentrations are found in the Llanos region of western Venezuela and eastern Colombia. The fertile and remote tropical grassland plain of the Llanos provides a safe haven far from human encroachment. Together with its relative the bare-faced ibis, the scarlet ibis is remarkably prolific and conspicuous in the region.
Scarlet ibis vagrants have been identified in Belize, Ecuador, and Panama; Aruba, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, and Jamaica; sightings have even been made in the United States. The species may well have been a natural vagrant to the Gulf Coast in the 19th century or earlier – in The Birds of America, John James Audubon made brief remarks regarding three rubra specimens he encountered in Louisiana. However, virtually all modern occurrences of the species in North America have been introduced or escaped birds. In one notable example from 1962, scarlet ibis eggs were placed in white ibis nests in Florida's Greynolds Park, and the resulting population hybridised easily, producing "pink ibises" that are still occasionally seen.
Behavior
Breeding
Mating pairs build nests in a simple style, typically "loose platforms of sticks" of a quality described as "artless". They roost in leaf canopies, mostly preferring the convenient shelter of young waterside mangrove trees.[25] Scarlet ibises like wet, muddy areas such as swamps, but for safety they build their nests in trees well above the water. If they can, they nest on islands, where their eggs and chicks are less likely to be in danger from predators.
To attract a female, the male will perform a variety of mating rituals such as "preening, shaking, bill popping, head rubbing, and high flights. As with most birds, mating does not involve any coupling or insertion: instead, a transfer of seminal fluids occurs during external contact between the cloacal openings. After a gestation period of five to six days, the female lays a clutch of three to five smooth, matte eggs which typically incubate for 19–23 days. After a successful courtship, pairs remain faithful and cohabitant, sharing parental responsibilities for the young.
In southeastern Brazil, the ibises gather in colonies in mid-September and build nests at the beginning of November. Egg laying within the colony was synchronous, with female birds laying eggs in three waves in early November, late December and late January.
Feeding
Their distinctive long, thin bills are used to probe for food in soft mud or under plants. Popularly imagined to be eating only shrimp, a recent study in the Llanos has found that much of their diet consists of insects, of which the majority were scarabs and ground beetles. One species in particular, a scarab beetle Dyscinetus dubius, formed a large part of the diet. Other insect prey include water beetles and water bugs. In contrast, the diet of the co-occurring American white ibis there differed, the latter consuming more bugs, fish and crustaceans.
They do, however, eat much shrimp and other similar fare like ragworms (Nereis), mollusks (such as Melampus), small crabs (Aratus, Uca and Ucides) and other crustaceans, such as crayfish. The large quantity of shrimp and other red shellfish produces a surfeit of astaxanthin, a carotenoid which is the key component of the birds' red pigmentation. Frogs, small snakes, small fish (Cichlidae), fruits and seeds are also occasional prey items for scarlet ibises. When kept in zoos, the birds' diet often contains beetroot and carrot supplement to maintain color vibrancy in their plumage.
The Llanos are notable in that these wetland plains support seven species of ibis in the one region. Here, scarlet ibis are the most aggressive, and attack other species to steal their food. They have also been observed trailing white-faced whistling ducks (Dendrocygna viduata) and domestic livestock, and catching insects disturbed by them.
Social behavior
The scarlet ibis is a sociable and gregarious bird, and very communally-minded regarding the search for food and the protection of the young. They live in flocks of thirty or more. Members stay close, and mating pairs arrange their nests in close proximity to other pairs in the same tree.
For protection, flocks often congregate in large colonies of several thousand individuals. They also regularly participate in mixed flocks, gaining additional safety through numbers: storks, spoonbills, egrets, herons and ducks are all common companions during feedings and flights.
Status
The species has protected status throughout the world, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the scarlet ibis as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Though several local populations appear to be in decline, global totals remain relatively large and the current rate of losses is not considered a threat to the species' survival. Nonetheless, recent losses by established populations in French Guiana have become a concern for conservationists, and in Brazil the bird has been included on a national list of endangered species.
Relationship with humans
The scarlet ibis and the rufous-vented chachalaca, popularly known as the cocrico, are the national birds of Trinidad and Tobago respectively. Both birds are featured on the coat of arms of Trinidad and Tobago. The cocrico is found on Tobago, Venezuela and Colombia. The scarlet ibis is associated with Trinidad; there are not documented records of the scarlet ibis on Tobago for the last fifteen years.
An important local habitat for the scarlet ibis is the wildlife sanctuary of Caroni Swamp of Trinidad, a 199 hectares (490 acres) wetland reserve first designated in 1953 specifically to provide a habitat for the scarlet ibis.
Using the bird as a literary symbol, American author James Hurst composed a popular short story, "The Scarlet Ibis" (1960). A more recent short story, "Scarlet Ibis" by Margaret Atwood, is included in Bluebeard's Egg (1983). The name also belongs to a book of verse by American poet Susan Hahn.
(Wikipedia)
Das „Birds of Eden" ist die größte Vogel Freiflugkuppel der Welt. Die gigantische Voliere ist mit einer Größe von ca. 23.000 qm nur ein wenig kleiner als der berühmte Millennium Dome in London. Über 100 verschiedene Vogelarten gibt es hier und bis zu 3.500 Vögel fliegen frei herum.
Der Park liegt nahe Plettenberg Bay direkt an der Gartenroute und bietet somit zusammen mit dem nahe gelegenen „Monkeyland“ die perfekte Ergänzung für eine Reise in dieser Gegend Südafrikas - egal ob für Familien, Paare oder auch größere Gruppen.
Mit dem Gehege, das den schönen Namen „Birds of Eden“ trägt, übersetzt heißt das so viel wie „Die Vögel des Paradieses“, wollte man eine sichere Umgebung für verschiedene, weltweit vorkommende Vogelarten gestalten, die vorher in Gefangenschaft gelebt haben. Zudem können Privatpersonen, die solche Vögel gehalten oder gesund gepflegt haben, diese im „Birds of Eden“ in die Freiheit entlassen.
Ähnlich wie im benachbarten „Monkeyland“ wird hier versucht, diesen Tieren ihre Freiheit zurückzugeben. Das ganze Areal ist sehr abwechslungsreich gestaltet. So fließt etwa ein Fluss durch das Tal und es wird Donnergrollen im Regenwald simuliert. Durch Wasserleitungen, die in der riesigen, das gesamte Gehege überspannenden Kuppel integriert sind, kann die „künstliche Heimat“ der Tiere auch beregnet werden.
Aussichtsplattformen und eine Hängebrücke geben Besuchern die Gelegenheit, die Vogelwelt ungestört zu beobachten. Hinter einem Wasserfall führt sogar ein Weg hinter einem Wasserfall hindurch. Durch die Aufteilung der Voliere in verschiedene Ebenen, können die unterschiedlichsten Vögel in ihrem natürlichen Lebensraum bewundert werden. So bietet der Garten sowohl für Wasservögel, die in herrlichen Teichen zuhause sind, wie auch für farbenfrohe Papageien, die durch die Lüfte fliegen, den perfekten Lebensraum.
Auch wenn im „Birds of Eden“ darum gebeten wird, die tierischen Bewohner nur zu beobachten und sie nicht zu berühren, kommt man einer Vielzahl dieser faszinierenden Lebewesen dennoch sehr nahe und hat die Möglichkeit, viel über die verschiedenen Arten zu lernen. Auf der Freistätte befinden sich zwei Restaurants, die verschiedene Sitzgelegenheiten bieten, darunter ein Deck mitten im Wald sowie eine Steinterrasse mit Aussicht auf die verschiedenen Teiche.
(abendsonneafrika.de)
Der Scharlachsichler (Eudocimus ruber), auch Roter Ibis, Scharlach-Ibis und Roter Sichler genannt, ist eine Vogelart aus der Familie der Ibisse und Löffler (Threskiornithidae).
Aussehen
Das gesamte Gefieder und die Beine des Scharlachsichlers sind leuchtendrot gefärbt. Er wird bis zu 70 cm hoch und wiegt bis zu 500 g. Männchen und Weibchen sehen gleich aus.
Systematik
Die Erstbeschreibung erfolgte 1758 durch Carl von Linné. Die ursprüngliche Bezeichnung war Scolopax rubra, später erhielt der Vogel das Taxon Guara rubra und 1952 schließlich das finale Taxon Eudocimus ruber. Biologisch besteht eine enge Verwandtschaft zum Schneesichler, von dem sich der Scharlachsichler ausschließlich durch die Farbgebung unterscheidet.
Lebensraum
Der Scharlachsichler lebt im nördlichen Südamerika vom westlichen Venezuela über die Guyanas bis zur Amazonasmündung in Brasilien sowie auf der Antilleninsel Trinidad, deren Nationalvogel er ist. Er bewohnt Feuchtgebiete in Küstennähe wie auch im Binnenland.
Die IUCN schätzt den Gesamtbestand des Scharlachsichlers auf 100.000–150.000 Tiere und stuft die Art als nicht gefährdet ein.
Lebensweise
Er lebt gesellig in großen Gruppen von häufig mehreren hundert und bis zu 2000 Artgenossen.
Brutpflege
Er brütet im Frühjahr auf den Mangroven-Inseln und auf Büschen und Bäumen. Das Gelege besteht aus 1–3 Eiern, die Brutzeit beträgt 21–23 Tage. Die Jungvögel tragen ein braunes Gefieder und entwickeln die rote Färbung erst im zweiten Lebensjahr, nach drei Jahren sind sie ausgewachsen. Seine Lebenserwartung beträgt 20 Jahre.
Ernährung
Seine Nahrung besteht aus Insekten, Weichtieren, Krabben und Fischen. Mit seinem sichelförmig abwärts gebogenen Schnabel stochert er im weichen Schlamm gezielt nach Würmern und Krabben.
Der Vogel in der Kunst
Eine Erzählung von Margaret Atwood mit dem Titel Scharlachroter Ibis (1994) handelt von einem Besuch in einem Reservat der Vögel auf Trinidad.
(Wikipedia)