The Hadeda Ibis does not rank highly as most people's favourite garden bird, probably because of their raucous, trumpeting call that can build to a deafening cacophony.
The Hadeda Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash) is a large (76cm) bird with a brownish-grey head, nape and neck. Despite their seemingly drab appearance, their rump and wing feathers have a beautiful metallic purple and green sheen. They use their long, black bill to probe into the soil in search of earthworms.
A visit from a hadeda is a sign of a healthy garden, teeming with smaller wildlife species. Their probing search assists with the aerating of soil and the control of insect populations. Apart from earthworms, their diet consists of slugs and snails, spiders, crickets, insects on the ground and small reptiles (lizards and frogs). They have been known to occasionally eat dog food from bowls. They will visit a ground level water feature to drink and bathe.
Despite their notorious racket, they are generally only vocal at dawn or when disturbed. It's common to have 2 or 3 birds visiting the garden. As they are territorial, chances are you'll have the same birds frequenting your garden. They are usually seen foraging in silence on the ground and if disturbed, will noisily fly to perch on roofs or tall trees. They build their nests in the fork of large trees usually 4-5 metres above the ground.
Another annoyance to some people is their large droppings which can mess paving. It will easily wash off with the spray from a hosepipe and makes a good fertiliser.
So next time you're annoyed by a hadeda's call, remember its important contribution to your gardening endeavours.
*images courtesy of Neil Ebedes, www.ebedesbirds.co.za
On 19 November, I spoke about Sandy disappearing. Well, she's back!!! Came to her usual place and gobbled her food, which we had continued to put out for her. Was so excited to see her. I take it she's got babies because she's not here again this morning. But so happy she's fine. I hope she brings her baby/babies here when they're mobile. Not sure if they do this? 🙏😁 Regards, Mo
Hi Mo
Thanks so much for your encounter and positive update.
Enjoy your garden and wildlife.
Flourish!
Glenice
It started with a hadeda, now known as Sandy, pecking at my dog's bowl on our patio, whether it was empty or had overs. So I started to dish up some food in another bowl and put it higher up. And so Sandy came everyday to eat. She even started to come in the mornings too. She has been coming for months. She has even walked into my house but suddenly got a little nervous and quickly turned and walked out, despite the fact that it was only me in the house sitting very still. A few other hadedas have called around and eaten from the bowl too sometimes, but Sandy is the only one who allows me to hold the bowl when she eats...that's how I know it's her. Now, over the last 4 days, I haven't seen her. I'm feeling anxious and worried. Could she have disappeared for whatever reason and could come back or does it mean what I don't want to believe?
We live in Cape Town and have just had a hadeda experience that filled us with so much joy and hope but ended in heartbreak and tragedy.
Our dog was barking at something in our backyard one evening nearly a week ago. The something turned out to be a fledgling hadeda. We thought that the bird would fly off once it had overcome the trauma of its close encounter with Shadow, the chabrador , but the next morning it was still there.
We could see that it was a young bird and I called the SPCA for advice. A lovely lady said that if possible, we should just let it remain in our backyard until it would be ready to fly, probably within the next few days.
While on the call, the mommy hadeda came to check up on the fledgling and that was when we decided that he could stay as long as he needed.
My husband, our teenage boys and I vigilantly accompanied our two very patient doggies outside to make sure that they didn’t go near Harry. His mom came to visit a few times a day and it was a joy to hear hear her call and see his excitement before she swooped down to spend a bit of time with him.
Harry crept into our hearts as he seemed so determined to make it out of our backyard. He walked around the pool, flexing his wings and practiced his flying by taking off from the pool pump and a stack of logs. He became more adventurous and his confidence grew as he did.
The first thing I did in the morning was to check if Harry was still here as he seemed stronger every day and each day we were hopeful that this would be the day he flies off with his mom instead of sadly watching her leave without him.
But alas, this morning (six days after he arrived) I woke up, went outside and couldn’t see him. My first thought was that he had flown off but as I turned to walk back into the house, I saw his beautiful, lifeless body. My heart broke.
I went inside and told my husband and boys. With heavy hearts and tears in their eyes, they dug a hole and before they put him into the box which they had sourced for his coffin, Harry’s mom came down to and sat on the wall in her usual spot. She gave a few cries and then flew off again.
Hopefully she realised that Harry was no more and that she does not come to look for him again because that will just break my heart all over again.
Harry didn’t look like he had been attacked. It was a bit cold and it was very windy last night but we will never know what caused Harry to die.
All we know is that we gave him the best chance that we could at survival and that he gave us so much joy in the few days that he was in our lives.
This was not the happy ending that we had hoped for Harry but maybe it was better for him to spend his last few days in peace and safety.
Goodbye, Harry. We will never forget you…
Hi Nikki
Thanks for visiting our site and sharing your tribute to Harry.
I'm so sorry that your experience didn't have a happy ending but hope the couple manage to rear another brood this season.
Flourish!
Glenice
I have a hadeda in my garden that has wire tied around its beak. Please can you advise on how to catch it so I can remove the wire so it is able to eat and drink. I have tried to catch it since Tuesday however I cannot get close enough to throw a towel / blanket over it as it flies off very quickly.
Hi Andrea
Thanks for visiting our site.
Capturing wild birds is best done by an expert in wildlife rehabilitation so it would be best to contact your local wildlife rehabilitation centre for assistance. If you're in Johannesburg, try Friends of Free Wildlife.
Flourish!
Glenice
My "Bird Buddy" as I call my frequent hadeda visitor let's me know he's around by coming to tap on my sliding door with his beak. Not sure why he does this but I know then he's around doing pest control in the garden or having a dip or drink in the basin left for him after I saw him taking a dip in the one I had soaked my orchids in.
Hi Sue
Thanks for visiting our site and sharing your experiences with your feathered friend. We are fortunate to have close encounters with the wildlife sharing our gardens and it's fascinating watching their mannerisms.
The tapping on the window could be because he sees his reflection in the glass and is trying to interact with the "other" bird.
It's great that you've provided a water source which probably services many other creatures.
Flourish!
Glenice
I'm at my wits end. The hadeda's keep pulling all my seedlings out. I've tried applying mole repellent around the seedlings and have even tried dropping moth balls around the seedlings but nothing deters them. Most of my primulas are so damaged that they cannot be replanted. Any advice beside a gun....
Hi Pete
Thanks for visiting our site and sorry to hear about your predicament.
The birds are merely relishing the opportunity to find food easily in your recently cultivated soft and worm-rich soil. Work with them as they're beneficial to have in your garden for slug and snail control. I'd recommend planting your seedlings with minimal soil disturbance and cover them with chicken mesh for about two weeks immediately after planting so that they can root sufficiently. Also, avoid planting the entire garden in one go as it then becomes a feast and the birds will linger for a lot longer.
Flourish!
Glenice
Hi,
I have a Hadeda that lives in my garden.
Its injured its foot which looks cut and infected.
Can it be caught somehow and treated?
Should I try catch it somehow and take it to the spca?
not sure how to catch it though - any suggestions?
Regards
Byron
Hi Byron
Thanks for visiting our site.
It may be best to contact your local bird rehabilitation centre or the SPCA for assistance in catching the bird as they will have experience in this and not cause further stress to the creature.
All the best.
Glenice
I have a family of Haededas that live in my pine tree...then on weekends the extened family comes to visit..
Sometimes 12 or more.
I need to find out something. I often get new chicks..and the parent sort of growls at the baby. I was fascinated by the sound.
Today is a sad day...i found one parent dead in my garden...the other parent has not come home.
And I have a chick sitting in my kitchen eating my dogs pellets. I saw it earlier way up the tree trying toflap its little wings & crying.
I have got hold of a lady who told me what to feed it.
Hi Heather
Thanks for visiting our site and sharing your experience with this beautiful birds.
Sorry for the loss. Hopefully the missing parent returns soon.
The "growling" noise made by an adult to a juvenile bird is most commonly heard when the youngster is ready to become independent and the parents are trying to discourage them from begging for food.
Flourish!
Glenice
My Hadida pair had a baby in November 2022 and it left the nest on 03 January 2023.
Walked around in the yard all the time and seemed healthy.
It rained for 2 days and last night was very cold.
This morning I found him lying dead under the tree with the dad peck pecking on it trying to get some response.
Could it be the wet cold weather that caused it to die?
Hi Ramona
Thanks for visiting our site and sharing your experience with these fascinating birds.
Sorry to hear about the loss of your resident chick which may have suffered from hypothermia as a result of the cold and wet conditions.
Hopefully your pair manages another brood soon.
Flourish!
Glenice
We have 2 hadedas that have built a nest high up in a tree using twigs and a fair amount of thatch off our lapa. It has been exciting to watch the chick develop. We even found the egg shell! Chick has lost its down now and looks like it will be getting ready for the big bad world soon. We are fascinated by the variety of sounds the chick makes. Very privileged to witness the chick's development.
Hi Margaret
Thanks for visiting our site and sharing your experience with these awesome birds.
Flourish!
Glenice
Dear Glenice
Have just rescued a baby hadeda from drowning in my pool. Have dried him/her and have put it on a warm cushion and have covered it up. What can I feed him. His parents are in the neighbourhood, but have not come near, as yet.
Hoping for some positive comments
Kind regards,
Hi Rene
Thanks for visiting our site and sorry to hear about your incident.
I may be a little to late in responding to your situation, but this may you in future or help others who read this post.
It's best to leave rescued chicks in a safe place away from pets but near to the nest site as the parents usually return to attend to the feeding. If they do not do so, then rather get in touch with a wildlife rescue centre as they have experience in caring for these cases and being able to release them back to the wild once they are able to fend for themselves. If you're in Gauteng, perhaps Friends of Free Wildlife can assist.
All the best.
Glenice
Hi
We have a hadeda nest in a tree in our garden. Over the last three days we have found three dead chicks on the ground beneath the nest.
Why would this be happening so frequently?
Hi Mel
Thanks for visiting our site and sorry to hear about the loss of your resident birds.
Nature can be quite cruel and it really hits when it's literally on our doorstep. Your chicks could have been affected by disease, nest disturbance, predation or parental neglect (missing parents are common). You'd need to investigate further to determine the cause in your scenario.
Hopefully the parents return for a second brood.
Flourish!
Glenice
Hi there. I have a ton of snails in my garden and would really like to feed them to the hadedas that come visit. They scratch in the soil but seem too dumb to find the snails. I don’t know how to get anywhere near them in order to offer them the snails without scaring them away so I was hoping I could make some kind of feeder that I can put the snails into before the hadeda arrive so I don’t keep chasing them off but get rid of the snails naturally. Is it possible to make such a device?
Hi Anita
Thanks for visiting our site.
The Hadedas are smart enough to find the snails without you having to intervene. I've found that they tend to eat snails from mid-summer through to winter and they tend to favour earthworms and parktown prawns in summer, probably because the ground is softer and underground creatures are easier to obtain.
Remember that snails are great decomposers and useful for breaking down dead, dying or diseased leaves. Yes, they will eat seedlings, but that's more noticeable when dead material isn't available, so replenish your layer of mulch to distract them from your seedlings and the hadedas will be sure to find them.
Flourish!
Glenice
Good day, we've just found a dead hadeda in our garden. This morning I saw it walking round the garden as usual, then it went under a tree, where it often sits, and I especially kept the dog inside so he wouldn't bother it.
Could a cat have killed it? When we picked it up, it looked like drool coming from its beak but there are no obvious wounds or any blood.
Thanks.
Hi Glynne
Thanks for visiting our site.
This is rather sad, but impossible to say what happened. There could be a number of possibilities - either the bird just reached the end of its life, it could have been attacked by an animal or had a collision with a window.
Hopefully your garden attracts another snail-controlling resident soon.
Flourish!
Glenice
Hi! Me again.
We have now gained another solo Hadeda. We are hitting the two-month mark of the lonesome Hadeda. We believe he/she is our previous pair's offspring.
He/She is the sweetest soul and will now tap the window and ask for food. My mom has been giving him/her cat pellets, is this okay?
He/She is also constantly pacing up and down our sliding door.
Welcome back, Melissa!
It seems like your garden is a favourable hangout for singles and the hospitality is awesome.
While the occasional cat pellet may not be harmful, we're not sure what the long-term impact will be on the bird's health. Hadedas have a varied diet of earthworms, slugs, snails parktown prawns and other creatures which gives them a balanced and natural diet.
There are potential problems with taming wild birds as they become used to humans and can fall prey to people who don't share our love for them. Hadedas, in particular spark either a love or hate relationship as you can see from some of the comments.
All the best in finding a suitable mate for your resident!
Flourish!
Glenice
I love seeing these large birds while laying on my bed in gorgeous Houghton.
Hi Hasan
Thanks for visiting our site and posting your comment.
We are indeed blessed to have these incredible creatures sharing our gardens and connecting us to nature in the heart of a busy city.
Flourish!
Glenice
I have a Hadeda that visits everyday for past month. it has even in the house. it keeps pecking on the windows. Is this normal. Houghton Jhb.