NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
African Sacred Ibis
Threskiornis aethiopicus (Latham, 1790)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The African sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) is a species of ibis, a wading bird of the family Threskiornithidae. It is native to much of Africa, as well as small parts of Iraq, Iran and Kuwait. It is especially known for its role in Ancient Egyptian religion, where it was linked to the god Thoth. The species is currently extirpated from Egypt.
Wikipedia contributors, African sacred ibis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:17:18.907659+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Threskiornis aethiopicus (Latham, 1790)
- Name authority
- (Latham, 1790)
- Common name
- African Sacred Ibis
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Threskiornithidae
- Genus
- Threskiornis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPelecaniformes
- familyThreskiornithidae Poche, 1904
- genusThreskiornis G. R. Gray, 1842
- speciesThreskiornis aethiopicus (Latham, 1790)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Threskiornis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Malagasy Sacred IbisThreskiornis bernieri (Bonaparte, 1855) | ThreskiornithidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-headed IbisThreskiornis melanocephalus (Latham, 1790) | ThreskiornithidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Reunion IbisThreskiornis solitarius (de Sélys-Longchamps, 1848) | ThreskiornithidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Straw-necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollis (Jameson, 1835) | ThreskiornithidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Tantalus aethiopicus Latham, 1790 Latham, 1790 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=174943 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:56LQB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.