What Is a Group of Ibises Called?
A wading bird that settles down together the way a name like “colony” suggests.
A group of ibises is called a colony. Ibises are highly social wading birds that nest, feed, and roost together in large numbers, often alongside herons, egrets, and spoonbills in mixed-species colonies.
What Is a Group of Ibises Called?
Colony is the standard term for a group of ibises, describing the large, dense breeding and roosting groups they form, often in wetland trees or reedbeds shared with other wading bird species.
Where Did the Name Come From?
“Colony” is a straightforward, widely used term across many colonial-nesting bird species, not unique to ibises, describing any large group that breeds and roosts closely together in one location. Ibises are especially prone to this behavior, often forming mixed-species colonies with herons, egrets, and spoonbills that can number in the thousands at major wetland sites.
Ibis Facts
- Curved bills: ibises have long, downward-curving bills adapted for probing mud and shallow water for invertebrates.
- Sacred history: the sacred ibis was closely associated with the ancient Egyptian god Thoth and was frequently mummified in enormous numbers as a religious offering.
- Mixed colonies: ibises regularly nest alongside herons, egrets, and spoonbills in shared wetland colonies, sometimes numbering in the thousands.
- Wide range: ibis species are found on every continent except Antarctica, adapted to a variety of wetland habitats.
Example Sentences
- A colony of ibises nested in the tall trees overlooking the marsh.
- The wetland reserve is home to a large mixed colony of ibises and herons.
🧠 Test Your Ibis Knowledge
Three quick questions. See what stuck.
1. What is a group of ibises called?
2. What is the ibis’s bill adapted for?
3. Which ancient god was the sacred ibis associated with?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a group of ibises called?
A colony, describing the large, dense breeding and roosting groups ibises form in wetland habitat.
Do ibises nest with other bird species?
Yes. Ibises regularly form mixed-species colonies with herons, egrets, and spoonbills, sometimes numbering in the thousands.
Why were ibises sacred in ancient Egypt?
The sacred ibis was closely associated with the god Thoth and was frequently mummified in large numbers as a religious offering.
Where do ibises live?
Ibis species are found on every continent except Antarctica, adapted to a range of wetland habitats.
Strength in Numbers
A colony of ibises is a sight to see at any major wetland reserve, often sharing the trees with several other wading bird species at once.