The sacred bird of Ancient Egypt is now a global invasive species

Nature · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Venerated by pharaohs and mummified by the thousands, the African sacred ibis was once a symbol of divine wisdom. Today, this wading bird has escaped its historical boundaries, establishing feral populations across Europe and Asia that thrive on human waste and challenge local ecosystems with their opportunistic feeding habits.

In Ancient Egypt, the sacred ibis was inextricably linked to the god Thoth, with temples burying tens of thousands of these birds annually as votive offerings. While historians once theorized the existence of specialized 'ibiotropheia' or breeding farms to meet this religious demand, genetic analysis of mummified remains suggests these birds were wild-caught from diverse geographic regions rather than captive-bred. By the mid-19th century, however, the species had vanished from Egypt entirely, leaving behind only the archaeological record of their former ubiquity.

The bird's modern expansion is largely a byproduct of 20th-century zoo practices. During the 1970s, many European zoos kept free-flying colonies that were permitted to forage in the surrounding landscape. These birds eventually established self-sustaining feral populations in countries including France, Italy, and the Netherlands. In Taiwan, an escaped population grew from a few individuals to over 16,000 birds by 2021, prompting an intensive government-led removal program involving indigenous hunters and nest culling.

Ecologically, the sacred ibis is a highly adaptable predator. While it naturally feeds on invertebrates, fish, and amphibians, it has proven adept at exploiting human-altered environments, including rubbish tips, sewage treatment plants, and commercial agricultural sites. In some regions, they have been observed raiding the nests of other colonial birds to consume eggs. This opportunistic behavior, combined with their ability to thrive in both wetland and urban settings, has led the European Union to classify the species as an Invasive Alien Species of Union concern, strictly prohibiting its import or release.

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