Black-headed ibis

Threskiornis melanocephalus

The Black-headed ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) is a bird found in India and Sri Lanka. Wetlands and fields across South and Southeast Asia. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, reptiles and frogs and fish. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.

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Scientific name	Threskiornis melanocephalus
Region	Asia
Found in	India and Sri Lanka

🏡 Where the Black-headed ibis lives

Wetlands and fields across South and Southeast Asia.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs40%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs40%
🐟 Fish20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Near ThreatenedNot in danger yet, but it could be soon.

💡 It has a black head and curved bill, like a bent pencil.

Hear the Black-headed ibis

Recorded by Sudipto Roy (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC198761. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Black-headed ibis

Where does the Black-headed ibis live?

The Black-headed ibis lives in India and Sri Lanka. Wetlands and fields across South and Southeast Asia.

What does the Black-headed ibis eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 40%), reptiles and frogs (about 40%), fish (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Black-headed ibis endangered?

Not in danger yet, but it could be soon. Its IUCN Red List category is Near Threatened.

More birds from Asia

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.