Giant Ibis

Thaumatibis gigantea

Cambodia's national bird and the world's largest ibis. Extremely rare, extremely majestic.

Population: Fewer than 200 mature individuals (total population, including juveniles, under 500; ~100 breeding pairs), per BirdLife International's 2018 IUCN assessment — the most recent global assessment found, no newer reassessment located
Habitat: Lowland wetlands: marshes, swamps, lakes, seasonal pools, wide slow rivers and flooded grasslands, adjacent to semi-open deciduous dipterocarp forest used for nesting (nests preferentially in Dipterocarpus trees)
Fun fact: The Giant Ibis is the world's largest living ibis species and has been designated Cambodia's national bird, even though fewer than 200 mature individuals are believed to survive in the wild.
Range: Almost entirely restricted to northern and northeastern Cambodia (e.g. Stung Treng, Preah Vihear/Kulen Promtep area), with only tiny remnant populations reported in extreme southern Laos and occasional recent sightings in Vietnam (Yok Don National Park); historically ranged more widely across the lower Mekong basin/Mekong Delta (fairly common there until the 1920s) but now believed extirpated from most of that former range. Estimated Extent of Occurrence ~50,000 km2, non-migratory/sedentary.
Diet: Aquatic invertebrates, eels, crustaceans, frogs and other small amphibians, small reptiles; also insects such as locusts, cicadas and mole-crickets, especially outside the breeding season
Size: 1.04 m

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