South Africa. Hadeda are monogamous and pair bonds are thought to persist throughout the year. Breeding begins after the rains. In the Cape province, they breed mainly from October to November. The nest is a platform of twigs placed in a major branch of a large tree, typically in a fork, and unlike most ibis species, in spite of their moderately gregarious nature, they do not nest in groups. Both parents take part in incubating the clutch of three to four eggs. Incubation takes about 26 days. The parents feed the young by regurgitating food. Many young birds die by falling off the nest. The survivors fledge in about 33 days. In culture The calls of hadeda ibises are considered as a sign of rains in parts of Lesotho. The Xhosa people use the name ing'ang'ane or ingagane which means black ibis as opposed to the white sacred ibis. The name in many African languages is onomatopoeic. It is known as Zililili in Chewa, Chinawa in Chiyao, Chihaha or Mwanawawa in Tumbuka, and Mwalala in Khonde. Colonial hunters considered it as good bird for eating. The Bantu people of Uganda have an origin story where a man and wife starved themselves during a drought while letting their children eat whatever little they had. The man and his wife were then turned into ibises that go by the name of Mpabaana. In Zululand the name ingqangqamathumba indicates that anyone who mocks the bird will break out in abscesses. When they fly continually, they are said to foretell a rich harvest in that year. A saying utahthisele amathole eng'ang'ane which means "he has taken the hadeda's nestlings" is an idiom used to indicate that someone has offended a vindictive man and that he would have to be careful. Conservation status As the hadeda ibis is widespread and common throughout its large range, it has been evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. References External links Hadeda Ibis - The Atlas of Southern African Birds hadada ibis Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa Birds of the Gulf of Guinea hadada ibis Birds of East Africa Birds of Southern Africa