Lophotibis cristata
Silhouette: Kai Caspar · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The Madagascar ibis (Lophotibis cristata), also known as the Madagascar crested ibis, white-winged ibis or crested wood ibis, is a medium-sized (approximately 50 cm long), brown-plumaged ibis. It has bare red orbital skin, yellow bill, red legs, white wings and its head is partially bare with a dense crest of green or gloss blue and white plumes on the nape. The Madagascar ibis is the only member of the genus Lophotibis.
The Madagascar ibis was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1781 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux from a specimen collected on the island of Madagascar. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Tantalus cristatus in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. The Madagascar ibis is now the only species placed in the genus Lophotibis that was erected by the German naturalist... Wikipedia →
Call0:11
Madagascar · 2003
© Frank Lambert · XC1071277 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Song0:13
Madagascar · 2019
© Dries Van de Loock · XC537020 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Recording0:07
Madagascar · 2024
© Brendan O'Loughlin · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Mantadia National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 3 | Ranomafana National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Burgers' Ocean | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | Moody Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Wildlands | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 10 | Parc Zoologique et Botanique de Mulhouse | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Botanical and Zoological Garden of Tsimbazaza | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 12 | Langenberg Wildlife Park | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 13 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 14 | Johor Zoo | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 15 | Divoká zahrada Hostivař | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 16 | OdySea Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Kung Fu Corals | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | ResQue Ranch Inc. | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Ibis sighting in Ankarafantsika National Park on a given day, based on 72 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 51st most-seen of the 83 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April, August and December
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Ibis in Ankarafantsika National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September, the lowest month. January–March and May have too few records to rate.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Madagascar Ibis sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Madagascar Ibis sightings, Ankarafantsika National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Mantadia National Park (Madagascar, about 10%) and Ranomafana National Park (Madagascar, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Madagascar Ibis is recorded against all the birds logged in Ankarafantsika National Park (72 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
