The White-shouldered Ibis (Pseudibis davisoni) is a 75 cm water bird that lives in the wetlands. This bald-headed bird with shiny black wings and tail loves water areas and swamp forests. In this area, it will forage and nest.
In Indonesia, its distribution is limited to the Mahakam River in East Kalimantan Province, with an estimated population around 30-100 individuals which continues to decline. Globally, this species used to live in Southwest China and Southeast Asia. Currently, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia (East Kalimantan) are the only places inhabited by the White-shouldered Ibis.
According to Jihad, Bird Conservation Officer of Burung Indonesia, White-shouldered Ibis shares similar habit to the Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) on living in small groups and pricking mud with their bills. However, the White-shouldered Ibis prefers to live in swamp forests and in forested watercourses.
Jihad added that the reduced area of wetlands due to the conversion of land to agricultural areas and hunting has driven the population of White-shouldered Ibis to decline. Its global population is estimated to be around 650 adult individuals. The World Conservation Agency IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has designated it as Critically Endangered (CR), which means one step towards extinction. Government Regulation No. 7/1999 on Preservation of Plant and Animal Species stipulates that this species is a protected animal.
Professor Johan Iskandar, Professor of Ethnobiology at Padjadjaran University (Unpad), explained that based on Smythies' notes in The Birds of Borneo (1981), the White-shouldered Ibis was found in the Barito River in 1836 and Long Iram, upstream of the Mahakam River in 1912. Guy Mountfort & Norman Arlott in the book Rare Birds of the World (1988) stated this species as one of the rarest bird species in the world.
According to Johan, the presence of water birds in the wetlands is very important. The variety of waterbird species that occur in coastal and oceanic wetlands or artificial wetlands is a natural indicator of environmental quality. "The presence of this water bird has something to do with the variety of food in the habitat," he said.
The existence of wetlands should receive serious attention. Its management must be integrated holistically in various development programs with strict supervision. The loss of wetlands can lead to the loss of a variety of ecological functions or ecosystem services. "In the end, it will not only lead to the loss of bird habitat, but also harm to humans themselves," he explained.
Belongs to the Threskiornithidae family, this species is a relative to storks, with smaller body size and bill more suitable for piercing mud than prey.