Lophotibis cristata
Silhouette: Kai Caspar · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Ibis sighting in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 87th most-seen of the 102 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Madagascar Ibis in Ranomafana National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–May and July–November, the lowest months. That is one of Ranomafana National Park's wettest months, with about 380 mm of rain against 80 mm in September. January and June 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.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Madagascar Ibis sightings, Ranomafana National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Ankarafantsika National Park (Madagascar, about 20%) and Mantadia National Park (Madagascar, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Madagascar Ibis is recorded against all the birds logged in Ranomafana National Park (19 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.
