Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2025 | 17(3): 26757–26760

 

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

https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8156.17.3.26757-26760

#8156 | Received 23 August 2022 | Final received 16 February 2025 | Finally accepted 06 March 2025

 

 

 

The occurrence of Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Linnaeus, 1766 (Pelecaniformes: Threskiornithidae) in southern Sumatra, Indonesia

 

Muhammad Iqbal 1, Arum Setiawan 2, Putri Balqis 3, Exaudi Beatrice Simanullang 4, Pormansyah 5, Selamat Robinsa 6, Winda Indriati 7& Indra Yustian 8

 

1 Department of Biology, Universitas Indo Global Mandiri, Palembang, Sumatera Selatan 30129, Indonesia.

2,8 Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Sriwijaya University, Jalan Raya Palembang-Prabumulih km 32, Indralaya, Sumatera Selatan 30662, Indonesia.

3,4,6 Department of Biology Programme, Faculty of Science, Sriwijaya University, Jalan Raya Palembang-Prabumulih km 32, Indralaya, Sumatera Selatan 30662, Indonesia.

5,7 Conservation Biology Programme, Faculty of Science, Sriwijaya University, Jl. Padang Selasa No.524, Palembang, Sumatera Selatan 30139, Indonesia.

1 miqbal@uigm.ac.id, 2 arum.setiawan@unsri.ac.id (corresponding author), 3 ptrbalqis17@gmail.com, 4 exaudibeatrices@gmail.com, 5 pormansyah@gmail.com, 6 selamatrlbinsah99@gmail.com, 7 windaindriati92@gmail.com, 8 idr_yustian@unsri.ac.id

 

 

Editor: Jephte Sompud, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia.        Date of publication: 26 March 2025 (online & print)

 

Citation: Iqbal, M., A. Setiawan, P. Balqis, E.B. Simanullang, Pormansyah, S. Robinsa, W. Indriati & I. Yustian (2025). The occurrence of Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Linnaeus, 1766 (Pelecaniformes: Threskiornithidae) in southern Sumatra, Indonesia. Journal of Threatened Taxa 17(3): 26757–26760. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8156.17.3.26757-26760

  

Copyright: © Iqbal et al. 2025. 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: (1) Sriwijaya University funded number: DIPA No. DIPA-023.17.2.677515 /2022; (2) Universitas Indo Global Mandiri; (3) Zoo Miami Foundation through Kushlan Wading Birds Grant.

 

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

 

Acknowledgements: The research/publication of this article was funded by DIPA of Public Service Agency of Universitas Sriwijaya 2022. SP DIPA-023.17.2.677515 /2022, on 13 December 2021; in accordance with the Rector’s Decree 0107.115/UN9.3.1/SK.LP2M.PT/2022, on 15 June 2022. First author thanks Universitas Indo Global Mandiri, and Zoo Miami Foundation through Kushlan Wading Birds Grant for funding study on reassesment of Milky Stork status in Sumatra 2022.

 

 

Ibises are medium-sized to large wading birds (ranging in length from just under 50 cm in the smallest species to 110 cm in the Giant Ibis) that have notable differences in bill morphology by having a narrow downcurved bill with a flattened tip (Hancock et al. 1992; Matheu & del Hoyo 1992). They are found in a variety of wetlands in all regions, except the Antarctic, with the greatest species diversity in the tropics (del Hoyo & Collar 2014). Currently, 24 species of ibises are recognized, and the Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus is the only cosmopolitan member of the family Threskiornithidae (Ibises and Spoonbills) (Matheu & del Hoyo 1992). The P. falcinellus is distributed across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia (Hancock et al. 1992; Birdlife International 2022). Although the population trend appears to be decreasing, this species has a large range and population size (Birdlife International 2022). The P. falcinellus, a vagrant, is scarce in the Indonesian archipelago, except in Java, where they are locally common residents (MacKinnon & Phillipps 1993; Eaton et al. 2021). This study reports  observations of P. falcinellus in South Sumatra Province, Indonesia, considered the first record for this species in southern Sumatra.

On 13 August 2022, a wetlands survey in Pasir River Village (03°35’42”S, 105°49’34”E), Cengal Subdistrict, Ogan Komering Ilir District, South Sumatra Province, Indonesia was conducted. The Pasir River Village, located in the east coastal zone of southern Sumatra, comprises a mix of mudflat, mangrove forest, and aquaculture pond habitats. P. falcinellus was observed on two occasions. First, at 1200 h, we saw a flock of 72 large dark waterbirds with decurved bill was seen flying from south to north directions (Image 1). This sighting took place at the mouth of Pasir River from a speedboat. Second, at 1600 h, we found a flock with similar characteristics and numbers in aquaculture ponds in Pasir River Village, presumed to be the same flock that we saw at noon (Image 1a). When the birds landed in an aquaculture pond, we observed them closely and documented them. They exhibited distinct morphological characteristics, relatively bigger for waterbirds but quite small for wading birds groups (Storks, ibises, and spoonbills), a decurved bill like Curlew Numenius sp., and all dark bodies. A few individuals displayed breeding plumage, characterized by the forecrown; glossed dark chestnut on the head, neck, chin, throat, lower back, and rump; and darkish green wing coverts (Image 1b). We referred field guides and confirmed the species to P. falcinellus (MacKinnon & Phillipps 1993; Sonobe & Usui 1993; Robson 2011; Eaton et al. 2021).

The presence of Plegadis falcinellus was previously considered doubtful in Sumatra (Marle & Voous 1988; MacKinnon & Phillipps 1993) until confirmed records emerged from northern Sumatra (Putra et al. 2013). The observations from Pasir River Village represent a significant number of individuals suggesting an expansion of the species’ range into southern Sumatra. The historical records of P. falcinellus in Sumatra are summarized below:

On 22 March 1977, unconfirmed single P. falcinellus was reported in Tanjung Pura, North Sumatra Province (Marle & Voous 1988).

On 30 September 2010, four P. falcinellus were observed in Tanjung Rejo Utara Village, Pantai-Labu Subdistrict, Deli Serdang District, North Sumatra Province (Putra et al. 2013).

On 01 January 2011, four P. falcinellus were observed again in Tanjung Rejo Utara Village, Pantai-Labu Sudistrict, Deli Serdang District, North Sumatra Province (Putra et al. 2013). It was presumed that the birds are similar to birds observed in 2010.

On 13 February 2011, four P. falcinellus were observed again in Tanjung Rejo Utara Village, Pantai-Labu Subdistrict, Deli Serdang District, North Sumatra Province (Putra et al. 2013). It was presumed that the birds were similar to birds previously found in 2010 and 2011 based on the number of individuals in the flock and their observed physical.

On 21 April 2021, three P. falcinellus were documented at an aquaculture pond in Margasari Village, Labuhan Maringgai Subdistrict, Lampung Timur District, Lampung Province (iNaturalist 2022).

On 13 August 2022, a flock of 72 P. falcinellus was observed twice in Pasir River Village, South Sumatra Province (this survey).

On 29 January 2025, three P. falcinellus were documented in Braja Slebah Subdistrict, Lampung Timur District, Lampung Province (eBird 2025). This area is in the same district as the location mentioned in observation six.

Our recent observation, supported by two observations from Lampung Province, represents an extended range for P. falcinellus in southern Sumatra (Figure 1).

The wetlands in the east coastal zone of southern Sumatra are documented as important habitats for waterbirds (Verheugt et al. 1993; Iqbal et al. 2019; Setiawan et al. 2019, 2020). It is likely these wetlands provide good habitats for other waterbirds from bordering regions. Since first being seen in 2010, the Black-winged Stilts Himantopus leucocephalus have been recorded at aquaculture ponds in the Banyuasin Peninsula, South Sumatra Province, and have successfully colonized the area recently (Iqbal et al. 2019, 2022). Putra et al. (2013) presumed that P. falcinellus found in northern Sumatra could be originally from the southeastern Asian population, rather than from the Javan population.

This assumption is based on the distances: localities of P. falcinellus in northern Sumatra are approximately 500 km from the southeastern Asian population, compared to about 3,000 km from the nearest location in Java. Following this assumption, P. falcinellus recently observed in southern Sumatra could have originated from Java, where the nearest breeding sites (Pulau Dua and Pulau Rambut, West Java; Marle & Voous 1988) are located approximately 100–250 km from Margasari and Pasir River Village, compared to about 600 km from mainland Southeastern AsiaIn the Atlantic, Santoro (2014) reported about P. falcinellus distance range in Trinidad (one in the summer of 2008) and Bermudas (one in autumn 2013) indicating that this species can disperse across the Atlantic, flying almost 6,000 km away from natal sites. Further surveys are needed to monitor the status of P. falcinellus population in Sumatra in the future, to learn whether the species is a visitor or able to breed and colonize on the eastern coast of southern Sumatra.

           

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