"Bird of the Pharaohs" Stages Comeback

James Owen in England
for National Geographic News

October 3, 2003

A few years ago it looked like the only northern bald ibises that would
last until the new century were the ones mummified by the ancient
Egyptians. But ornithologists say the bird the pharaohs so revered has
staged a spectacular comeback thanks to a last-ditch conservation effort
in northern Africa.

One of the world's most endangered birds, by 1997 less than 100 adult northern bald ibises (Geronticus eremita) remained in the wild. Almost wiped out by human pressures, the species clung on at the Souss-Massa National Park in Morocco.

This wildlife reserve, located near Agadir on the Atlantic coast, became the focus of an emergency conservation program. Launched by the British-based Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity, measures included the provision of wardens and freshwater drinking sites.

The reserve's ibis colony has since grown to 85 pairs, representing a 60 percent increase in the world population.

Chris Bowden, an RSPB conservation biologist and ibis expert, says that without the program the bird faced extinction in the wild.

He added: "We are confident we have found the key to its survival in Morocco. The ibises spend much of the year living and feeding close by local people, so wardening and awareness-raising work is vitally important."

Outside Souss-Massa National Park, the sole surviving northern bald ibis population is in Syria. Discovered only last year, this genetically-distinct colony managed just seven young this summer, compared with 100 raised in Morocco.

Clean Water

RSPB spokesman Grahame Madge says the reserve's new wardens have prevented human disturbance, while the drinking areas are essential in providing a source of clean water.

"Many ibises died in the past from water contaminated either by pesticides or some other pollutant," he said.

Madge says efforts to educate local people have also been crucial, adding: "We've made giant strides in informing them about the importance of this bird and getting their backing in trying to conserve it."

The northern bald ibis was once found across northern Africa, the Middle East, and much of Europe, including the Alps.

The bird's exalted status in ancient Egypt suggests the species used to be widespread there. Known to the pharaohs as the crested ibis, it was regularly featured in jewelry and art, and, like the sacred ibis, had its own hieroglyph which symbolized splendor and brilliance.

The ancient Egyptians believed the human soul turned into the bird when departing for the afterlife. Their mummified remains have been found inside tombs and there's evidence to show they were kept domestically.

Unlike other ibises, the northern bald ibis isn't really a wetland bird, instead preferring cliffs as breeding sites and to forage for insects, lizards, and other small animals on cultivated land. In the past it even nested on castles and in towns.

Experts believe this habit of living near people was the main cause of the bird's downfall. They say this made it vulnerable to hunting, habitat loss, human disturbance, and pesticide poisoning.

Iridescent Feathers

Also called the hermit or Waldrapp ibis, the bird is easily recognized with its long, curved beak, bald head, and black, shaggy plumage which gleams in iridescent shades of purple and green.

Bowden says the success of the Souss-Massa National Park program increases the chances of this impressive bird again being seen in its old haunts.

He said, "With more ibises alive in captivity than in the wild a breakthrough in reintroduction techniques coupled with successful conservation measures at key sites could see this charismatic bird restored to parts of its former range.

"Coordinating work on a release program, while ensuring that the wild population remains viable, gives this species a far more encouraging future than seemed possible five years ago."

While previous reintroduction attempts have failed, Madge says information gleaned from Morocco's wild colony could prove vital to the success of future attempts.

"We can find out a lot more about their habits and how they survive in their natural environment than we can from captive birds," he added.

One release project is already under way. Austrian-based scientists plan to restore the species to the European Alps after a gap of over 400 years. They are currently using microlight aircraft to teach the zoo-bred birds how to migrate south and escape the mountains in winter.

And if the Alps can be re-colonized, why not Egypt? This bird of "splendor and brilliance" may yet return to the land of the pharaohs.