Common Name
Australian White Ibis
Comment
Very common in coastal wetlands and parks; a local pest.
Stronghold population
False
Regionally significant/rationale
False
Restricted distribution/rationale
False
Historical abundance
Increasing
Local distribution
Common in many open habitats. Recent explosion in population
Known location
Eagleby, Coomera, Hope Island, Tallebudgera, Robina West, Bethania, Maudsland, Currumbin Valley, Ela
Other locality
Very common in coastal wetlands and parks; adapting well to urban environments and now a local pest.
General ecology
Swamps, tidal mudflats, dams, damp grasslands, parks.
Habitat comment
Sacred ibis have undergone a population explosion on the Gold Coast, with numbers expected to rise to more than 10,000 in the near future. They have become a local pest, destroying vegetation around nest sites and fighting over food scraps in parks. An Ibis Management Committee has been formed to devise methods of control.
Management
Sacred ibis are present in unnaturally high numbers and they warrant population control. Tourists should be discouraged from feeding them and bins should be made ibis-proof.
Biology
Breeding colonies at Macintosh Island, Fleay's Wildlife park, Coobabah, Currumbin Creek, Southport School, Cascade Gardens.
