Geronticus calvus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The southern bald ibis (Geronticus calvus) is a large bird found in open grassland or semi-desert in the mountains of southern Africa. Taxonomically, it is most closely related to its counterpart in the northern regions of Africa, the waldrapp (Geronticus eremita). As a species, it has a very restricted homerange, limited to the southern tips of South Africa in highland and mountainous regions.
This large, glossy, blue-black ibis has an unfeathered red face and head, and a long, decurved red bill. It breeds colonially on and amongst rocks and on cliffs, laying two or three eggs which are incubated for 21 days before hatching. It is a large bird that feeds and roosts in substantial groups. It feeds on insects, small reptiles, rodents and small birds. They do little vocalizing other than occasional gobbling sounds.
The ibises are gregarious long-legged wading birds with long down-curved bills; they form one subfamily of the Threskiornithidae, the other subfamily being the spoonbills. The two Geronticus species differ from other ibises in that they have unfeathered faces and heads, breed on cliffs rather than in trees, and prefer arid habitats to the wetlands used by their relatives. The species is currently listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List, however, it is in no immediate danger of extinction. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Busch Gardens Tampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 4 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Le Pal | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Dvůr Králové Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 7 | Walsrode World Bird Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Johannesburg Zoo | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | National Zoological Garden of South Africa | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 12 | Wildlife World Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Calgary Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 14 | ZooTampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Little Rock Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Reid Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 20 | Parc animalier de Nahuques | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 21 | National Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Downtown Aquarium, Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | Paupau Aqua Garden | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 25 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 26 | Kung Fu Corals | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 27 | ResQue Ranch Inc. | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Bald Ibis sighting in Golden Gate Highlands National Park on a given day, based on 51 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 49th most-seen of the 108 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Bald Ibis in Golden Gate Highlands National Park on a given day, against about 10% in January, April and August, the lowest months. That is one of Golden Gate Highlands National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain against 130 mm in January. March has too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Bald Ibis sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Golden Gate Highlands National Park, in our data
Golden Gate Highlands National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Southern Bald Ibis sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Threskiornithidae
The closest relatives of the Southern Bald Ibis that you can see in Golden Gate Highlands National Park (family Threskiornithidae, Ibises and Spoonbills) are Hadada (about 50%) and African Sacred Ibis (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Bald Ibis is recorded against all the birds logged in Golden Gate Highlands National Park (51 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.
