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Ibis
Australian White Ibis - Threskiornis
molucca
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Ii
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In ancient Egypt a bird that looked very much like the Australian White Ibis was considered to be the earthly form of the god Thoth, who was responsible for, amongst other things, the invention of writing.
The white feathers of the Ibis were said to represent the light of the sun and that the birds could scare, or even kill crocodiles. The Egyptians also said that the birds drank only the purest of water, ate crocodile eggs, snakes and large reptiles and would pine to death if ever they left the river Nile.
The Australian White Ibis, on the other hand, eats grasshoppers and frogs (and many other small animals), drinks water from almost anywhere and is hardly commented on by most Australians as they drive past paddocks, swamps and coastal mudflats where the ibis
feed.
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