African Sacred Ibis

SCI Name:  Threskiornis aethiopicus
Protonym:  Tantalus aethiopicus IndexOrn. 2 p.706
Taxonomy:  Pelecaniformes / Threskiornithidae / Threskiornis
Taxonomy Code:  sacibi2
Type Locality:  'Aethiopia'' = ? Egypt (cf. Bruce, 1790, Travels Source Nile, 5, p. 172, pi. [35]).
Author:  Latham
Publish Year:  1790
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

THRESKIORNIS
(Threskiornithidae; Ϯ Sacred Ibis T. aethiopicus) Gr. θρησκεια thrēskeia  religious worship  < θρησκευω thrēskeuō  to worship; ορνις ornis, ορνιθος ornithos  bird; "Ibis, I. æthiopica, Lath. should form the type of a distinct division, to which I give the name of THRESKIORNIS (1842).  T. æthiopica (Lath.), G. R. Gray" (G. Gray 1842). The Sacred Ibis was venerated by the ancient Egyptians, who, by reason of its crescent-shaped bill and bright white plumage, considered it to represent Thoth the moon god. Cabard & Chauvet 2003, relate that Thoth was also the patron of scribes, and that the long bill of the ibis represented the pens or quills with which they wrote.
Var. Thresciornis, Threschiornis, Thereschiornis, Thereshiornis, Threscornis.
Synon. Apterornis, Borbonibis, Carphibis, Ibis, Ornithaptera, Setibis.

aethiopica / aethiopicus
L. Aethiopicus  Ethiopian, African  < Gr. Αιθιοπικος Aithiopikos  Ethiopian, negro  < αιθω aithō  to burn; ωψ ōps, ωπος ōpos  face.
● ex “Merle noir et blanc d’Abissinie” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Ethiopian Thrush” of Latham 1783 (Laniarius).
● ex “Abou Hannes” of Bruce 1790 (Threskiornis).