# Hadada Ibis

*Bostrychia hagedash*

Their loud, distinctive call is often called the 'alarm clock of Africa' and is so loud it can startle sleeping humans from deep sleep.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Pelecaniformes › Threskiornithidae › Bostrychia
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** increasing
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Grasslands, savannas, wetlands, and suburban gardens
- **Diet:** Carnivorous: mainly earthworms, snails, insects, spiders, and occasionally small reptiles
- **Range:** Sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania
- **Size:** 65-76 cm in length, wingspan of 95-105 cm
- **Lifespan:** 15-20 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Pesticide use on lawns, power line collisions, and localized hunting, though none pose major threats.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. Maintain a safe distance of 5-10 meters to avoid startling them into their extremely loud warning flight. If they forage in your garden, let them be, as they are excellent natural pest controllers. They are not aggressive, but if handled, they may peck defensively with their long bill; if nipped, wash the area with soap and water.

## About

The hadada or hadeda ibis ( Bostrychia hagedash ), is an ibis found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/b83615e4-641b-481c-9562-b8b33922e82d
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/3743
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bostrychia hagedash
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/50051647/medium.jpeg (Annika Lindqvist, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.