Hadada Ibis

Tantalus hagedash was the scientific name proposed by John Latham in 1790 who described it from a specimen that had been collected at "Houteniquas", due north of Mossel Bay, by Anders Sparrman who also recorded that it was onomatopoeically "called by the colonists hagedash, and also hadelde." It was later placed in a monotypic genus as Hagedashia hagedash but has since been placed in the genus Bostrychia. Three subspecies are recognized, the nominate form is found south of the Zambezi river and is paler and shorter billed than those of other subspecies. Populations to the north of the Zambezi river and towards the eastern parts of Africa including Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan and Ethiopia are larger and longer billed and designated as B. h. nilotica (Neumann, 1909) while to the west from Senegal to Congo and Kenya the darker brown and more brightly glossed populations are designated as B. h. brevirostris (Reichenow, 1907). The name hadeda with an e as opposed to the official IOC English name of hadada ibis, is used in some South African works including notable regional bird lists such as Roberts VII Names Database.

The hadada ibis occurs throughout Sub-Saharan Africa in open grasslands, savanna and wetlands, as well as urban parks, school fields, green corridors and large gardens. This bird occurs in Sudan, Burundi, Ethiopia, Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Gambia, Kenya, Somalia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and South Africa. The distribution range of the hadada has increased in southern Africa by nearly two and a half times in the 20th century following the introduction of trees in parts that were treeless. Irrigation projects may have also helped in their expansion as they appear to need moist and soft soils in which to probe for food.

Hadada ibises roost in groups on trees. They fly out in the mornings with loud calls and return in the evenings with regularity. Hadada feed on insects, millipedes and earthworms, using their long scimitar-like bill to probe soft soil. They also eat larger insects, such as the Parktown prawn, and also spiders and small lizards. These birds also feed readily on snails and often clear garden beds around residential homes. They are particularly welcomed on bowling and golf greens because they are assiduous in extracting larvae of moths and beetles that feed on the roots of the grass. Like other ibis species, including spoonbills, and like some other probing feeders such as sanderling and kiwi, hadada have sensory pits around the tips of their bills. In their foraging for unseen prey, such as shallow subterranean larvae, the pits enable them to locate feeding insects and earthworms. Hadada have become very common in many African cities and tolerate the closeness of humans. They are able to judge the direction of gaze of humans and the speed of approach to decide their escape strategies. Hadada ibises have been involved in several bird-hits at airports in Kenya and South Africa. Hadada are monogamous and pair bonds are thought to persist throughout the year.

The calls of hadada ibises are considered as a sign of impending rains in parts of Lesotho. The Xhosa people use the name ing'ang'ane or ingagane which means black ibis as opposed to the white sacred ibis. The name in many African languages is onomatopoeic. It is known as Zililili in Chewa, Chinawa in Chiyao, Chihaha or Mwanawawa in Tumbuka, and Mwalala in Khonde. Colonial hunters considered it as a good bird for eating. The Bantu people of Uganda have an origin story where a man and wife starved themselves during a drought while letting their children eat whatever little they had. The man and his wife were then turned into ibises that go by the name of Mpabaana. In Zululand the name ingqangqamathumba indicates that anyone who mocks the bird will break out in abscesses. When they fly continually, they are said to foretell a rich harvest in that year. A saying utahthisele amathole eng'ang'ane which means "he has taken the hadada's nestlings" is an idiom used to indicate that someone has offended a vindictive man and that he would have to be careful. Some bird depictions on bronze plaques and ceremonial staffs from Benin that were kept in German museums were examined by Ernst Schüz who found them confusingly similar to the hadada but also showing a wattle prominently as in the wattled ibis.

As the hadada ibis is widespread and common throughout its large range, it has been evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Day 67 Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash) taking off, after Egyptian Goose landing ... (53355021310), crop.jpg|Taking flight from a river Hadeda Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash) in flight, from side.jpg|In flight in South Africa Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash) catching a worm in rhino dung heap ... (51138925225).jpg|Foraging for invertebrate prey in rhino dung heap Bostrychia hagedash in South Africa.webm|Foraging on a beach in South Africa Bostrychia hagedash MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.62.7.jpg|Eggs from same clutch in Guinée-Bissau