African Sacred Ibis

There are two African Sacred Ibis in the lake at Lago di Alviano. Here’s one:

Their scientific name, Threskiornis aethiopicus, gives another clue to their origins: Ethiopia.

What are they doing in Italy?

It’s another case of people interfering. They are an introduced species, escaped from zoological collections.

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People have been obsessed by Sacred Ibis for thousands of years. Here’s a papyrus from 1275 BC showing Anubis, the Jackal-headed god and Thoth, the Ibis-headed scribe of the gods.

It’s a brilliantly accurate depiction of the Ibis. I’m not sure about the weighing of hearts against feathers, though..

Over 3,000 year later, I’m here worshipping Ibis too.