Straw necked ibis

Description:

A big bird with a bare black head and yellow throat plumes. It also has a distinctive long, downwards curved black bill. It's back and wings are a glossy blue-black with metallic purple, green and bronze sheen and a white nape and sides of neck and white belly.

Habitat:

This one was high in a eucalyptus tree although they usually spend most of their time on the ground. There was a large riverbed about 100 metres away.

Notes:

Unusual finding one standing on a large tree branch although they nest in low shrubs. They are regarded as a farmers friend because they will work for hours in numbers searching out grubs in damp paddocks.