Birds Thru My Eyes : MALAYSIA: Black-headed Ibis

Sunday, 23 November 2025

Order - Pelecaniformes
Family - Threskiornithidae (Ibises, Spoonbills)

Black-headed Ibis

Threskiornis melanocephalus

黑头白鹮 (cǎi-huán)

Malay : Sekendi Kepala Hitam Asia

Japanese : クロトキ (Kuro-toki)

Kanji 日語漢字 : 黒朱鷺

  Extent of Occurrence (resident/breeding) : 11,210,000km²
  Migratory Status : Not a Migrant
  Breeding Endemic : No

Size : 65–76 cm; 1000–1500 g; Wingspan 130 cm

Subspecies and Distribution

Monotypic. (Latham, J 1790, India. Nepal, India, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), southern Manchuria south)
– Breeds from Pakistan (S Sind) and Nepal through India to Sri Lanka; probably NE China (Heilongjiang); also Cambodia, S Vietnam, Java and possibly Sumatra. Winters in S China, Myanmar, Thailand, Sumatra and Philippines. Formerly more widespread in E Asia.