Giant ibis, only exists in Cambodia
There are about 200 Giant Ibis in the world, the majority (90%) is confined to northern Cambodia. It is said that this species’ range is now much reduced. They had inhabited in vast areas of mainland south-east Asia in the past but the Giant Ibis now has an extremely small, declining population. They are found mostly in Cambodia, with a few birds surviving in extreme southern Laos, and one recent sighting in Yok Đôn National Park in Vietnam and already extinct in Thailand.
This bird became the national bird of Cambodia in 2005. It is a huge, striking ibis, unique by virtue of its being the largest member of its family.
- The giant ibis (Thaumatibis gigantea) is the only species in the monotypic genus Thaumatibis, is a wading bird of the Ibis family, Threskiornithidae.
- Size: 102-106cm, Weight: 4.2kg
- Cambodian names: ត្រយ៉ង់យក្ស ឬឪលើក [Troyang Yeak/Ov Leuk]
- IUCN red list status: Critical endangered
This species can be found in lowlands as they are living in swamps, marshes, paddy-fields, open wooded plains, humid clearings, and pools within deciduous dipterocarp lowland forest. They are also found along wide rivers.
Giant ibis is in very small amount these days and there are reasons for that.
- The reason of their decline could be partly from the decline in large grazing animals, particularly wild water buffalo, as they rely on the pools and wallows dug by buffalo as feeding sites.
The main threat is the deforestation (habitat lost), lack numbers of mega animals such as Elephants, Wild cattle, which usually maintain the Trapeang in the dry season that help to support the main food for the ibises. Many Trapeang (seasonal flooded ponds being dried up every year) leads to absence of those birds. Others could be Urban development, Crops, Livestock, Roads/Rail, Hunting, Gathering, Logging, Work, Fire, Dams, Native species.
- There are some organization and local community who work to protect them.
Places for watching Giant Ibis
The sites where you can see them all at once is Tmat Beoy ecotourism, Google Map is here.
Season for Giant Ibis watching
- November– April, February is the peak season
Footages of Giant Ibis
- A video from my organization: 5 facts of Giant ibis you did not know.
- A footage from our partner organization, Sam Veasna Conservation Tours (who also works to protect the bird at the site with local community members)
- A music about Troyang bird (Wedding music), pop music about Troyang
Photo courtesy to my friend Sean Marady (who is a bird guide and provided this photo for me specially for Connect). Marady is a staff of our partner organization who received fund to work in the site.
A map of where Giant Ibis lives by Bird Life International (2017)
Other posts about birds
- Sarus Cranes, the world's tallest flying birds
- Giant Ibis, the critically endangered species, only exist in Cambodia
- Prek Toal the biggest bird sanctuary in Cambodia
Have you seen one before?
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