Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 January 2026 | 18(1): 28235–28238

 

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) 

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9822.18.1.28235-28238

#9822 | Received 08 April 2025 | Final received 15 December 2025 | Finally accepted 31 December 2025

 

 

First photographic record of Red-naped Ibis Pseudibis papillosa Temminck, 1824 in Sikkim Himalaya, India

 

Laxmi Rai 1, Kritan Rai 2  & Bijoy Chhetri 3        

 

1,2,3 Department of Zoology, School of Basics of Sciences, SRM University Sikkim, 5th mile, Gangtok, Sikkim 737102, India.

1 laxmiry07@gmail.com, 2 kritanrai1997@gmail.com, 3 chhetribijoy@yahoo.co.in (corresponding author)

 

 

 

Editor: H. Byju, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.  Date of publication: 26 January 2026 (online & print)

 

Citation: Rai, L., K. Rai & B. Chhetri (2026). First photographic record of Red-naped Ibis Pseudibis papillosa Temminck, 1824 in Sikkim Himalaya, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 18(1): 28235–28238. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9822.18.1.28235-28238  

  

Copyright: © Rai et al. 2026. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.

 

Funding: DST-SERB-Core Research Grant (File Number: CRG/2022/003542).

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Acknowledgements: We express our deep gratitude to SRM Sikkim University, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and Forest & Environment Department, Government of Sikkim for their support. The field recommendations and words of encouragement from friends and colleagues are highly appreciated.

 

 

Abstract: This article highlights a novel photographic record of the endemic species, Red-naped Ibis of the Indian sub-continent from Sikkim Himalaya. We documented the bird during a field visit on 27 July 2024, in Jorethang, South Sikkim. This finding expands our understanding of the distribution and diversity of avifauna in the state, highlighting the need for further exploration, research, and conservation in Sikkim Himalaya.

 

Keywords: Avian diversity, breeding, conservation, distribution, eastern Himalaya, endemic species, feeding, habitat management, habitat shift.

 

 

The Red-naped Ibis Pseudibis papillosa, also known as the Indian Black Ibis, is a bird species native to the Indian subcontinent (Hancock et al. 1992; Ali & Ripley 2007). It belongs to the family Threskiornithidae and is classified as ‘Least Concern’ under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species; however, its population is decreasing mainly due to habitat destruction (Birdlife International 2024). There is a paucity of studies and anecdotal evidence regarding the species’ behaviours (Ameta et al. 2022; Juvvadi 2022; Tere 2022). Observations of the natural history records and related insights are crucial for developing a foundational understanding of the needs of poorly studied species (Charan et al. 2022; Tere 2022).

 

Distribution

The Red-naped Ibis breeds mainly in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, while a presumably non-breeding population is present in China (Matheu et al. 2020). The species inhabits both protected and unprotected areas and favours drier habitats (Byju et al. 2025a). They are found in open and paddy fields, dry agricultural land, drier edges of wetlands, grasslands, fallow crop fields, open sewage pipelines, near urban & village junkyards, and dunes (Soni et al. 2010a; Inskipp et al. 2016; Byju et al. 2023).

 

Breeding

The Red-naped Ibises are solitary breeders and build their nests on the upper strata of trees. The Red-naped Ibis breeding season typically lasts from March–November, with the monsoon seeing the highest levels of breeding activity (Rajesh & Kumar 2019; Tere 2022), but in Tamil Nadu, the breeding was reported from November–March (Byju et al. 2024; Byju et al. 2025b). They prefer neem Azadirachta indica and peepal Ficus religiosa trees for nesting. Owing to the trees’ plentiful availability, appropriate height and canopy reduce the thermal pressure on the young ones and also protect them from predators (Soni et al. 2010). Sangha (2013) recorded this species building their nests on electric poles and Vaishnav et al. (2022) recorded them on mobile towers in Rajasthan.

 

Feeding

Probing behaviour is the principal feeding mode for this species, frequenting feeds which are often found in municipal garbage dumps and wastewater bodies. The species shows a significant non-nocturnal foraging rhythm and occupies the terrestrial habitats during morning and evening and aquatic habitats during noon; it usually consumes frogs, snakes, insects, fish, earthworms, and carcasses; it is also known to eat grains and seeds in dry agricultural fields (Katuwal & Quan 2022). Sinha (2022) observed the species feeding on the nectar of the Silk Cotton Tree Bombax ceiba, which has a single occurrence of ibis feeding on non-carnivore items.

 

Methods and Observations

The Red-naped Ibis was observed opportunistically at Jorethang Town, South Sikkim, during a field study at the river Rangeet. The species identification was done with the help of a field guide (Grimmett et al. 2019). The dark brown plumage, greenish wing sheen, long-curved beak, and reddish legs of the medium-sized Red-naped Ibis make it easy to identify. Adolescents lack the red patch on the head that distinguishes the adult bird (Soni & Rana 2023). This species shares a similar appearance with the Glossy Ibis; however, the Glossy Ibis lacks the red patch and the white shoulder patch. A Nikon DSLR camera (Nikkor Z 28–400mm), Zeiss Terra ED (10 x 42) binoculars, and a Garmin GPS were used to photograph, observe, and record locations, respectively. . We generated a digital elevation model (DEM) map of the study area. We observed two adult Red-naped Ibis (male and female) in Jorethang, South Sikkim (27.130° N & 88.283° E, at 332 m; Figure 1). The two birds were perched on the top branches of a Peepal tree Ficus religiosa, making loud, squealing calls and sharing their habitat with House Crow Corvus splendens and Common Myna Acridotheres tristis (Table 1).

The dominant vegetation of the area consisted of Albizia lebbeck, Ficus religiosa, Mangifera indica, Areca catechu, Persea americana, Ficus altissima, Carica papaya, and Cocos nucifera (Table 2).

On 27 July 2024, at 0640 h, the Red-naped Ibis was sighted by Laxmi Rai at Jorethang. Based on the data collected from the locals & fishermen, our observations indicate that these birds are most active in the early morning, making loud calls before flying across the river Rangeet to forage. The birds were seen rarely foraging in the wetlands.

 

Discussion

Sikkim is a small landscape state with many climatic zones that provide a large gene pool of faunal and floral components. According to a checklist published by Acharya & Vijayan (2011), Sikkim is home to 574 different species of birds. In Sikkim, no photographic documentation of Red-naped Ibis existed; also, the checklist provided by ebird shows a total of 537 bird species, yet no record of Red-naped Ibis sightings (Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2024). Thus, our findings on Red-naped Ibis can be useful for the Sikkim Himalayan bird database. The major threats to this species include habitat loss, fragmentation, predators, and pesticides (Anjali & Rana 2022). They are susceptible to anthropogenic pressure and natural disasters, and their population is declining (GreenVerz 2022).

 

Conclusion

Climate change is more prominent in the Himalayas, which is further boosted by anthropogenic pressure like habitat fragmentation due to modernisation. These may have been the driving forces for the range extension of the Red-naped Ibis in the Sikkim Himalaya. This occurrence might be crucial for studying more about biodiversity and its conservation strategies in response to climate change in the Sikkim Himalaya. Therefore, it is essential to consistently monitor this species and its habitat for effective conservation and future prospects.

 

Table 1. Associate bird species found around the study site.

 

Common name

Scientific name

Family

1

House Sparrow

Passer domesticus

Passeridae

2

Common Myna

Acridotheres tristis

Sturnidae

3

White Wagtail

Motacilla alba

Motacillidae

4

Little Egret

Egretta garzetta

Ardeidae

5

Nepal House Martin

Delichon nipalense

Hirundinidae

6

Rock Pigeon

Columba livia

Columbidae

7

House Crow

Corvus splendens

Corvidae

8

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucos

Scolopacidae

9

Crested Kingfisher

Megaceryle lugubris

Alcedinidae

 

 

Table 2. Vegetation found around the study site.

 

Common tree name

Scientific name

Family

1

Peepal

Ficus religiosa

Moraceae

2

Siris

Albizia lebbeck

Fabaceae

3

Papaya

Carica papaya

Caricaeae

4

Coconut

Cocos nucifera

Arecaceae

5

Mango

Mangifera indica

Anacardiaceae

6

Banyan

Ficus benghalensis

Moraceae

7

Betelnut

Areca catechu

Arecaceae

 

 

For figure & images - - click here for full PDF

 

References

 

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