Bostrychia hagedash
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
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 |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Hadada sighting in Ruaha National Park on a given day, based on 119 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 30th most-seen of the 276 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Hadada in Ruaha National Park on a given day, against about 30% in January and June, the lowest months. That is one of Ruaha National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 180 mm in January.
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.
24th of 52
Of the 52 parks where we can rate Hadada sightings, Ruaha National Park ranks 24th at about 40%. 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 order: Pelecaniformes
The closest relatives of the Hadada that you can see in Ruaha National Park (order Pelecaniformes, Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies) are Hamerkop (about 50%), Goliath Heron (about 30%) and Grey Heron (about 30%), 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 Ruaha National Park (119 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.
