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A Madagascar crested ibis with a brown body, white wings and yellow bill perched on a branch.
Photo: Eric Savage, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Madagascar Crested Ibis

Lophotibis cristata

A forest ibis found only on Madagascar, with a brown body, white wings and a shiny greenish-blue crest.

🪿 Wading Birds
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About the Madagascar Crested Ibis

Madagascar crested ibises are about 20 inches long, one of the bigger birds in Madagascar's forests. They have brown bodies, white wings, a greenish-blue crest, pink legs, a yellow bill and pink skin around the eyes. They live in both humid and dry forests, from sea level up to 6,600 feet, and eat insects and other invertebrates, snails, small frogs and reptiles.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Lophotibis cristata[1]
Size
About 20 inches long.[1]
Diet
Invertebrates, snails, small amphibians and reptiles.[1]
Habitat
Humid and dry forests, from sea level to 6,600 feet.[1]
Where it lives
Madagascar only.[1]
Group life
Pairs or small groups.[1]
Babies
2 or 3 eggs on a twig platform in a tree.[1]
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN Red List, assessed 2024).[2]

Fun facts

  • It's also called the white-winged ibis and crested wood ibis.[1]
  • Unlike many ibises, it lives in forests, not wetlands.[1]
  • Both parts of its scientific name refer to its crest.[1]

Vocabulary

endemic
Found naturally in only one place in the world.
crest
A tuft of feathers on top of a bird's head.
probe
To poke into something to search.
invertebrate
An animal without a backbone, such as an insect, worm or snail.
vulnerable
A conservation label meaning a species faces a high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Madagascar ibis.” https://www.sfzoo.org/madagascar-ibis/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Lophotibis cristata (Madagascar Ibis).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22697504/254926243 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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