Species Info

The Northern bald ibis is a large terrestrial bird that gathers in colonies on remote rocky areas during the breeding season, and mountain meadows, short grass and semi-arid grounds during the non-breeding season. Although the species entered a severe decline in the early 20th Century, recent conservation efforts, in particular breeding programmes, are beginning to bring the populations into stability. Historically the range of the Northern bald ibis spread throughout North Africa and in to the Middle East.

However severe declines have left the species as two disjunct populations: the Western, found only in Morocco; and the Eastern, found in Turkey and in Syria where the NBI is extinct as a breeding population. The more stable Western population is dispersive and the only remaining fully wild individuals of NBI. The Eastern is migratory and heavily managed, release programmes are slowly recovering the Turkish population to numbers seen here ten or more years ago.

Over the Species Info pages you will find more information about the history of the NBI, it's life-cycle and threats.

You can also refer to the IUCN Red List and the BirdLife Factsheet for more details.