About Pseudibis papillosa (Temminck, 1824)
The red-naped ibis (scientific name Pseudibis papillosa (Temminck, 1824)) is a large black bird with long legs and a long downcurved bill. Its wing feathers and tail are black with a blue-green gloss, while the neck and body are brown and lack gloss. A distinct white patch stands out on the shoulders, and the top of its featherless head has a patch of bright red warty skin. This warty patch, technically called a caruncle, is triangular: its apex sits at the crown, and its base lies behind the nape, and it only develops in adult birds. The iris is orange-red. Both sexes look identical; young birds are browner, and start life without a bare head and red crown patch. The bill and legs are grey, but turn reddish during the breeding season. The toes have a fringing membrane and are slightly webbed at the base. Red-naped ibises are usually silent, but call at dawn and dusk, and call more often when nesting. Their calls are a series of loud braying, squealing screams that decrease in loudness. Nocturnal calling is rare, and has only been observed in urban settings. This species can be confused with the glossy ibis when seen at a distance, but the glossy ibis is smaller, more gregarious, tied to wetlands, lacks the white shoulder patch, and has a fully feathered head. The red-naped ibis is widely distributed across the plains of the Indian subcontinent. In Rajasthan, it is common along the Aravalli mountains, but entirely avoids using trees on these mountains. Habitats used by the species include lakes, marshes, riverbeds, irrigated farmlands, dry fallow fields, villages, towns and cities. Landscapes with more wetlands attract larger numbers of red-naped ibises, but the birds forage mostly in dry fields, increasing their use of wetlands for foraging during summer. In semi-arid areas, it is commonly seen in small flocks of 2 to 4 individuals, which may be family groups, and larger groups are relatively rare. Fewer ibises are counted in wetter locations and during wet seasons. It is a common breeding resident in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and the Gangetic plains. Its range extends into southern India, but it is not found in the forested regions, the arid zone of the peninsula's extreme southeast, or in Sri Lanka. In lowland Nepal, most foraging red-naped ibises are seen in agricultural fields, but most nests are found in forests. Red-naped ibises commonly use villages, towns and mega-cities to seek food, nest and roost. The species is largely diurnal for foraging and all other activities, and roosts communally at night on trees or islands. Nocturnal activities such as loud calling are rare. In semi-arid areas, it avoids potential competitive interactions with other sympatric ibis species by foraging mostly in upland habitats. Early observations and stomach content analyses showed the red-naped ibis's diet includes crustaceans (prawns, crabs), insects (beetles, grasshoppers, crickets), scorpions, carrion and frogs. Later additional observations confirm the species is omnivorous, feeding on carrion, insects, frogs, other small vertebrates, and grain. It forages mainly in dry open land and stubbly fields, and sometimes joins egrets and other birds on tilled land to feed on exposed earthworms and disturbed insects, as well as dig for beetle grubs. It walks, and like other tactile-feeding ibises, probes in soft ground. It rarely wades in water, but has been observed seeking frogs hiding in crab holes. It commonly feeds at garbage dumps, eating mammal and bird carcasses. In small towns, red-naped ibises hunt adult Rock Pigeons and prey on their eggs from building nests. Near towns, ibises eat road kills, and pull marrow from the bones of cattle killed in traffic collisions. During droughts, they have been seen feeding on carrion and insect larvae that develop on carrion. They also feed on groundnut and other crops. In British India, indigo planters considered them useful because they seemed to consume large numbers of crickets in fields, earning the species the nickname "planter's friend". Both adult and juvenile red-naped ibises in Delhi have been observed digging into the flowers of Bombax ceiba, apparently to drink nectar. Fishing by red-naped ibises is rare, and has only been observed in reservoirs. Ibises roost in groups, and fly to and from regularly used roost sites in a "V" formation.
