STRAW-NECKED IBIS. 
Adult male. General colour above black with bronzy reflections and cross-bars of velvety- 
black, being green on the hind-neck, coppery or purple on the mantle, green and 
violet on the wings, and narrow green bars or edgings on the upper tail-coverts ; 
bastard-wing, primary-coverts and quills greenish-black ; tail entirely white ; 
neck covered with white down with short metaUic-green feathers on the upper side 
and straw-like shafts on the under side of upper fore-neck ; lower fore-neck dark 
metallic ; remainder of the under-surface pure white, including the axillaries, 
under tail-coverts and short concealed under wing-coverts ; lesser under wing- 
coverts metaUic-green ; the greater series grey. Bill and bare skin black ; iris 
brown ; patch below the eye and feet pink. Total length 833 mm. ; culmen 188, 
wing 382, tail 145, tarsus 88. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male, but smaller in all the measurements. 
Immature male. Differs chiefly from the adult in having the head covered with blackish 
feathers. The neck white with dark centres to the feathers, the metallic colours of 
the upper-surface almost absent except on the mantle, where there are a few 
coppery reflections. Eyes dark brown ; thighs grey, knees downward black, each 
scale edged with grey, the margins growing narrower towards the toes ; soles light 
grey ; claws, bill, and skin of the face black ; the lower eyelid has a white crescent 
on its lower edge ; interramal space flesh-colour. 
As the bird gets older the black feathers on the head are dropped, leaving the 
bare skin black ; the straw-like shafts on the neck become visible and the upper- 
surface becomes more and more as in the adult. 
Nest. “ Similar in construction and material to those of ThresJciornis strictipennis, being 
nearly flat structures composed of long spiny sticks and twigs interlaced through 
one another, measuring about eighteen inches in diameter by six in length ” 
(Bennett). 
Eggs. Clutch, three to five ; white, mostly nest stained, with very fine pittings ; inside 
of shell green. Axis 62 to 68 mm., diameter 43 to 45. 
Breeding-season. September to December (North). 
Mr. J. P. Rogers says that he saw these birds in small flocks, both on the 
plains near and in the bed of the Fitzroy River, North-west Australia. But 
they were fairly numerous in Kimberley. 
Captain Bowyer Bower, writing from Derby, notes : “ On 21st June, 1886, 
we saw a large flock of these birds, some 30 in number, fly over the camp and 
make in the direction of a swamp about a mile off ; going across there we 
observed four posted, as it were, to give warning of danger, on the highest 
trees ; after a little stalking I got within shot of one and fired and at once 
all the rest rose from the damp grass. They are watchful birds and diflflcult 
to approach. This bird seems to fly easily, often soaring hawk-fashion in 
the air.” 
Captain S. A. White says : “ This very useful bird is of a nomadic nature, 
travelling over a vast range of country, and its visits are gauged by the state 
of the seasons. They congregate in vast numbers and spread over the plain 
in search of food and are a deadly enemy of the locust or grasshopper ; they 
retire to the big gums at night to roost and their cry is very harsh, being a 
deep croaking noise.” 
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