The Hadada ibis is a large, grey-brown bird native to sub-Saharan Africa, named for its distinctive "haa-daa-daa" call. They primarily eat insects, worms, and snails, which they find by probing the ground with their sensitive, curved bills. Hadadas live in pairs or small groups during the day, but gather in large roosts at night, and build solitary, basket-shaped nests in trees or on man-made structures.
Habitat: They live in a variety of habitats, including wooded streams, grasslands, savanna woodlands, and man-made environments like large gardens and sports fields.
Distribution: They are native to sub-Saharan Africa and are common in many countries in that region.
Diet: Primarily carnivorous, they eat insects, worms, millipedes, snails, crustaceans, and small reptiles. They are also the only known ibis species to eat fruits.
The hadada ibis occurs throughout Sub-Saharan Africa in open grasslands, savanna and wetlands, as well as urban parks, school fields, green corridors and large gardens. This bird occurs in Sudan, Burundi, Ethiopia, Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Gambia, Kenya, Somalia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and South Africa.
The distribution range of the hadada has increased in southern Africa by nearly two and a half times in the 20th century following the introduction of trees in parts that were treeless. Irrigation projects may have also helped in their expansion as they appear to need moist and soft soils in which to probe for food. and vegetables.
