Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) is found in the Middle East in countries such as Iraq and Iran. Sacred Ibis is also found widely in the wetlands of Africa. The bird is essentially white with a black head and neck and black tail area. It is about thirty-five inches tall.

There are three recognized subspecies. The nominate subspecies is found in tropical Africa and Iraq. The subspecies abbotti is found on Aldabra Island. The subspecies bernieri is found in western Madagascar.

Although this species is listed in CITES for Ghana, as of l992 it was not considered endangered throughout its range. There is a subspecies found in Madagascar.

The ibis genus Threskiornis contains 4 species native to the Old World from southern Asia south into Africa, India, Australia, and New Zealand. There are 4 species in the genus. These birds are quite similar. All have a black head and dark bill, and all show large amounts of white on the body. They range in size from about 24 to about 30 inches in length. These birds can be found in swamps, water edges, and also in various fields and plains. (There is also an extinct species in this family, Threskiornis solitarius of the Mascarene Islands, which would bring the count to 5 species.)

Ibis and Spoonbill group (Family Threskiornithidae) contains 28 species of medium-sized shore birds characterized usually by a lack of head feathers.

Stork and Heron group (Order Ciconiiformes) is made up of birds with long legs that usually are found near the shores of bodies of water. Their long legs let them wade through the shallow water looking for food. Fossil remains indicate these birds have been around for at least 100 million years. There are about 114 living species in this group.

Aves contains about 8,650 different species of living birds known to science. Each year about one new species is discovered in some remote rain forest or remote island. In addition, scientists have been raising many subspecies to full species status which may raise the species count to 10,000. Birdlife recognizes 10,027 species as of 2011.

However, each year about one species goes extinct. The rate of extinction is increasing, and the rate of new discovery is decreasing, so that the number of bird species will soon begin to decline rapidly. Although different taxonomists would organize the birds differently, there are approximately twenty-seven orders of birds. These orders are broken down into about one hundred and fifty-five different families.

Recent research of the genetic structure of some of the shore birds and owls would indicate that the present organization of orders and families should have some modification.

The birds are a worldwide group of animals that are characterized by having the front limbs modified into wings that are used for flying. Perhaps the most unique feature of the birds is the feathers. These feathers are made up of a central support called a quill and a series of small filaments that are hooked together as barbs.

For many years it was believed that Archaeopteryx discovered in Bavaria was the oldest bird from about 150 million years ago. However, in l986, Sankar Chattterjee, a Texas paleontologist, reportedly discovered a bird in the genus Protoavis that lived about 225 million years ago.

When this project was begun in 1978, we used Austin & Singer for bird taxonomy. Since then, we have adopted many changes, but have kept some older concepts that are still found widely in the literature. Recently, we have used Clements and Howard & Moore. Very recently, we have used Monroe and Sibley for the higher taxonomy of the perching birds.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.

Animal Kingdom contains numerous organisms that feed on other animals or plants. Included in the animal kingdom are the lower marine invertebrates such as sponges and corals, the jointed legged animals such as insects and spiders, and the backboned animals such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

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