Bostrychia hagedash
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The hadada ibis (Bostrychia hagedash) or hadeda is an ibis native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named for its loud three to four note calls uttered in flight especially in the mornings and evenings when they fly out or return to their roost trees. Although not as dependent on water as some ibises, they are found near wetlands and often live in close proximity to humans, foraging in cultivated land and gardens. A medium-sized ibis with stout legs and a typical down-curved bill, the wing coverts are iridescent with a green or purple sheen. They are non-migratory but are known to make nomadic movements in response to rain particularly during droughts. Their ranges in southern Africa have increased with an increase in tree cover and irrigation in human-altered habitats.
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... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Johannesburg | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Kampala | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 5 | Nairobi | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 6 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Kigali | 🇷🇼 Rwanda | |
| 8 | Mombasa | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 9 | Addis Ababa | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 10 | Bujumbura | 🇧🇮 Burundi |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SeaWorld Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Tierpark Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Antwerp Zoo | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 5 | North Carolina Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Safaripark Beekse Bergen | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 9 | Living Desert Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Kansas City Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Oakland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | The Maryland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Wildlife World Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Wrocław Zoological Garden | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 19 | Calgary Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 20 | Moody Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Franklin Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Indianapolis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 23 | Oregon Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 24 | San Antonio Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 25 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 26 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 27 | Lincoln Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 28 | Little Rock Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 29 | NaturZoo Rheine | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 30 | Le Cornelle | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 31 | Van Blanckendaell Park | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 32 | Discovery Cove | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 33 | Kuala Lumpur Bird Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 34 | Santillana Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 35 | World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary and Monkey Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 36 | Tracy Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 37 | Birds of Eden | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 38 | National Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 39 | Africarium | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 40 | Sobela Ocean Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 41 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 42 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 43 | Aquatopia | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 44 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 45 | Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 46 | terrarium ogrodu zoologicznego we Wrocławiu | 🇵🇱 Poland |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hadada sighting in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, based on 157 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 219th most-seen of the 519 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Hadada in Ngorongoro Conservation Area on a given day, against under 5% in January to March, the lowest months. That is one of Ngorongoro Conservation Area's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 190 mm in April.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hadada sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
50th of 52
Of the 52 parks where we can rate Hadada sightings, Ngorongoro Conservation Area ranks 50th at about 10%. The best odds are in Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 70%), Nairobi National Park (Kenya, about 70%) and Addo Elephant National Park (South Africa, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Threskiornithidae
The closest relatives of the Hadada that you can see in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (family Threskiornithidae, Ibises and Spoonbills) are African Sacred Ibis (about 40%), Glossy Ibis (about 30%) and African Spoonbill (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hadada is recorded against all the birds logged in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (157 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.
