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Straw-necked Ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) Alternate name(s): "Farmer's Friend", "Dryweather-bird", "Letter-bird" Aboriginal name(s): "paipan", "murrgumurrgu" [yuwaalaraay, yuwaalayaay]; "jungar*" [western bundjalung] Size: 59-76 cm; wing span: 1.0-1.2 m Body mass: 1.1-1.6 kg Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.45-0.62

Australia: Family Group 5 Family Group 5 Table Great Egret Plumed Egret Eastern Cattle Egret Little Egret Eastern Reef Egret Great-billed Heron White-faced Heron White-necked Heron Pied Heron Rufous Night Heron Little (formerly Striated) Heron Black Bittern Australian Little Bittern Australasian Bittern Royal Spoonbill Yellow-billed Spoonbill Australian White Ibis Straw-necked Ibis Glossy Ibis Black-necked Stork Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Straw-necked Ibises are medium-sized aquatic birds. The head is bald and black, with a long, curved black bill. Also the tail and upperparts are black, with glossy, even iridescent feathers that can have a greenish, brownish and purple sheen to them. The front of the neck is covered with spiny, straw-coloured hackles, the belly and undertail are white. The inner parts of the underwings are also white, while the rest of the underwings, and the upperwings, are black. Juveniles have no hackles and less iridescent plumage.

Taxonomy, classification See Straw-necked Ibis at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Straw-necked Ibis is available HERE . Straw-necked Ibises used to be endemic to Australia, but are now also reported from southern New Guinea. In Australia, Straw-necked Ibisies are found over most of the continent, including Tasmania, with the exception of the major deserts of the interior, i.e. the easternmost part of WA, the western half of SA and the south-western corner of the NT. In other parts of the semi-arid interior they are present only when there is sufficient surface water, normally after major rainfall events. Straw-necked Ibises usually prefer freshwater wetlands, e.g. freshwater lakes, but they can also often be found foraging on open grassland and paddock and pasture, especially after rainfall. Where to look? How to find this species? The likelihood of finding a Straw-necked Ibis is highest during the time of dispersal, at the end of the breeding season, when they can often be found probing the soil in paddocks and pasture. They do this even when the soil is dry and hard, which means that their distribution is not constrained to wetlands.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Straw-necked Ibises are commonly found in the Narrabri region, in all wet, moist or muddy areas, often on paddocks (especially after rain). After rainfall their numbers in the Narrabri area increase noticeably. In September 2008 a flock of around 100 birds came to Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, NSW, 1-2 weeks after significant rainfall. Also sighted on a trip to the East of the Great Dividing Range, in the area from Armidale to Dorrigo and Clarence River downs (Iluka), NSW. Large numbers (of order 30000, according to local NPWS officers) of birds were nesting at the Narran Lakes Nature Reserve, 50 km North-West of Walgett, NSW, in March 2008. At the time a flood wave was moving down the Darling River. As we passed the area, a smaller number of birds could also be observed on the fringes of the reserve. They are also found in numerous other wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin, e.g. in the Macquarie Marshes and also around Moree, NSW. In August 2014 we found Straw-necked Ibises in abundance in various locations in and around Darwin, NT. P. Brown also reports finding the species regularly in Darwin, NT. R. Plumtree reports spotting Whiskered Terns at Hollands Landing, Lake Victoria, East Gippsland, VIC, in October 2014. J. Greaves reports spotting Straw-necked Ibises regularly in WA, e.g. in Albany, Manjimup, and in and around Perth. Straw-necked Ibises were also found at Boolardy Station, Murchison, WA, in August 2016. A. Ross-Taylor reports spotting Straw-necked Ibises on the Gold Coast, QLD, in April 2015. M. Eaton reports finding Straw-necked Ibises at Bagama, QLD, near the tip of Cape York peninsula, in August 2019. Others were found in the region of Mackay to Airlie Beach, QLD, in July 2021. M. Mearns reports finding Straw-necked Ibises on the Georgina River at Camooweal, QLD, in September 2019. C. Pears spotted Straw-necked Ibises in Swanbourne, Perth, WA, in April 2021. Others were found in Broome, WA, in July 2024, and again in June 2025.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Close-up frontal view of a Straw-necked Ibis
[Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Close-up frontal view of a Straw-necked Ibis
[Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Near-frontal view of a Straw-necked Ibis (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Airlie Beach, QLD, July 2021]

Near-frontal view of a Straw-necked Ibis
[Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Close-up near-frontal view of a Straw-necked Ibis looking sideways (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Broome, WA, July 2024]

Close-up near-lateral view of a Straw-necked Ibis (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Airlie Beach, QLD, July 2021]

Close- up lateral view of a Straw-necked Ibis with an impressive display of brilliant iridescence of the wing feathers
(photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Lake Claremont, Perth, WA, April 2025]

Lateral view of a Straw-necked Ibis in bright sunlight clearly showing the brilliant iridescence of the wing feathers
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Fogg Dam CR, NT, July 2020]

This lateral view of a Straw-necked Ibis in bright sunlight clearly shows the brilliant iridescence of the wing feathers
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Darwin, NT, July 2020]

Dorsal view of a Straw-necked Ibis (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, May 2021]

Straw-necked Ibises soiled with red soil of the red centre of Australia (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Boolardy Station, Murchison, WA, August 2016]

Straw-necked Ibises roosting in a dead tree top (photo courtesy of S. Kirkby)

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Pair of Straw-necked Ibises with two immature birds that are just growing their straw hackles (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Leanyer Swamp, Darwin, NT, March 2019]

Frontal view of a juvenile Straw-necked Ibis foraging on a paddock
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2013]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Straw-necked Ibis foraging on a paddock
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2013]

Close-up lateral view of a juvenile Straw-necked Ibis foraging on a paddock
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2013]

Lateral view of a juvenile Straw-necked Ibis; note the iridescence of its plumage in these light conditions
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2011]

Close-up lateral view of a juvenile Straw-necked Ibis (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Boondall Wetlands, Brisbane, QLD, August 2017]

Close-up lateral view of a juvenile Straw-necked Ibis (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Broome, WA, July 2024]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Straw-necked Ibis
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2011]

Dorsal view of a juvenile Straw-necked Ibis
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2013]

Dorsal view of a fledgling Straw-necked Ibis (photo courtesy C. Hayne)

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Flock

Close-up near-frontal view of a Straw-necked Ibis tapping the ground in search of grubs
[Darwin, NT, August 2014]

Additional information

Click here to see a group of immature Straw-necked Ibises foraging at our property.

Straw-necked Ibises like flying in a chevron formation to minimize resistence of air turbulence over long distances.

Skein of Straw-necked Ibises flying in a chevron formation
[Near Bellata, NSW, November 2015]

The Straw-necked Ibises at the tip of the "V" take the highest air resistance...
[Near Bellata, NSW, November 2015]

... they are relieved regularly, which makes the shape of the chevron change continuously
[Near Bellata, NSW, November 2015]

Presumably during "local travel" (short distances), flocks of Straw-necked Ibises do not bother with flying in a chevron formation.

Lateral view of a flock of Straw-necked Ibises flying over in a loose formation
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2025]

After significant inland rainfall the population of Straw-necked Ibises living along inland rivers, lakes or dams venture out to feed on recently soaked open grasslands, including paddocks.

Flock of Straw-necked Ibises exploring where to find food; even the last paddocks up creek valleys into the Great Dividing Range are investigated
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, December 2012]

Near-lateral view of a flock of Straw-necked Ibises zeroing in on a paddock to give it a good work-over; they appeared a few days after a major rain event
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2011]

Food, Diet

Ibises feed on small animals that they pull out of mud or soft soil. Straw-necked Ibises are also known to scavenge; they are often seen around rubbish tips.

There is a separate page illustrating how a Straw-necked Ibis drinks water from a shallow puddle.

Close-up lateral view of a Straw-necked Ibis swallowing its prey (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Broome, WA, July 2024]

Immature Straw-necked Ibis with a grub in its long bill
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2011]

This immature Straw-necked Ibis has caught a fish (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Near-frontal view of a Straw-necked Ibis having a drink
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2008]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

stribis_20201119.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact call	© MD
stribis_20201119_3.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (Q&A)	© MD
stribis_20210312.m4a	(NW NSW)	Warning/departure	© MD
stribis_20201119_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Annoyed	© MD

More Straw-necked Ibis sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.