Theristicus

Theristicus
Black-faced ibis.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Threskiornithidae
Subfamily: Threskiornithinae
Genus: Theristicus
Wagler, 1832
Type species
Tantalus melanopis
Gmelin, 1789

Theristicus is a genus of birds in the family Threskiornithidae. They are found in open, grassy habitats in South America. All have a long, decurved dark bill, relatively short reddish legs that do not extend beyond the tail in flight (unlike e.g. Eudocimus and Plegadis), and the back is grey.

Taxonomy

The genus Theristicus was erected by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832 with the black-faced ibis as the type species. The name is from the Ancient Greek theristikos meaning "of reaping". The genus contains four species.

Genus Theristicus – Wagler, 1832 – four species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Plumbeous ibis

 Theristicus caerulescens
(Vieillot, 1817)		 south-western Brazil, especially in southern Mato Grosso and Rio Grande do Sul; Paraguay, especially in the Chaco and in the Paraguayan section of the Parana Basin; Uruguay; north-eastern Argentina and northern and eastern Bolivia
Map of range		 Size:

Habitat:

Diet:		  LC 

Buff-necked ibis

 Theristicus caudatus
(Boddaert, 1783)

Two subspecies
  • T. c. caudatus (Boddaert, 1783)
  • T. c. hyperorius Todd, 1948
northern and central South America in Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas and Brazil
Map of range		 Size:

Habitat:

Diet:		  LC 

Black-faced ibis

 Theristicus melanopis
von Berlepsch & Stolzmann, 1894		 central Argentina and Chile
Map of range		 Size:

Habitat:

Diet:		  LC 

Andean ibis

 Theristicus branickii
(Gmelin, 1789)		 western South America
Map of range		 Size:

Habitat:

Diet:		  NT 

References

  1. ↑ Wagler, Johann Georg (1832). "Neue Sippen und Gattungen der Säugthiere und Vögel". Isis von Oken (in German and Latin). 1832. cols 1218–1235 [1231].
  2. ↑ Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 258.
  3. ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 384. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  4. ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2022). "Ibis, spoonbills, herons, Hamerkop, Shoebill, pelicans". IOC World Bird List Version 12.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 25 November 2022.

Further reading