Ibisbill

The ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii) is a unique bird native to the shingle riverbanks of central Asia and the Himalayas. It features a striking appearance with grey plumage, a white belly, red legs, and a long down-curved bill, resembling that of an ibis. Adults have a black face and black breast band, while juveniles are less pronounced with a duller bill color. Despite its distinctive look, the ibisbill can be quite inconspicuous in its natural rocky habitat. These birds are generally solitary except in breeding season when they may nest in proximity due to limited habitat. They can be found from lowland rivers to elevations up to 4,400 meters, and their nests are simple scrapes on the ground, often lined with pebbles. The ibisbill diets on a range of invertebrates and small fish, foraging by probing under streambed rocks. With a broad range but unknown population size, this species is not believed to be at risk; hence it is currently classified as 'Least Concern' by the IUCN.

Species Categories

Accentors Bearded Reedling Bee-eaters Buntings Bushtits Bustards Caracaras, Falcons Cettia Bush Warblers & Allies Chats, Old World Flycatchers Cormorants, Shags Coursers, Pratincoles Cranes Crows, Jays Cuckoos Dippers Ducks, Geese, Swans Figbirds, Orioles, Turnagra Finches, Euphonias Flamingos Goldcrests, Kinglets Grassbirds & Allies Grebes Gulls, Terns, Skimmers Herons, Bitterns Hoopoes Hypocolius Ibisbill Ibises, Spoonbills Kingfishers Kites, Hawks, Eagles Larks Laughingthrushes & Allies Leaf Warblers & Allies Longspurs, Snow Buntings Loons Monarchs Nightjars Nuthatches Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches Ospreys Owls Oystercatchers Pelicans Penduline Tits Pheasants & Allies Pigeons, Doves Plovers Rails, Crakes & Coots Reed Warblers & Allies Rollers Sandgrouse Sandpipers, Snipes Shrikes Skuas Starlings, Rhabdornis Stilts, Avocets Stone-curlews, Thick-knees Storks Streaked Scrub Warbler Swallows, Martins Swifts Sylviid Babblers Thrushes Tits, Chickadees Treecreepers Wagtails, Pipits Wallcreeper Waxwings Woodpeckers Wrens

Birda Blog

A passionate photographer is outdoors, equipped with a top-notch camera for bird photography.

14 best cameras for bird photography

August 9, 2022

John White

A woman in a jacket birdwatching out in nature, looking at her phone and considering the best birding app.

11 of the best birdwatching apps in the UK

August 8, 2022

John White

A large flock of Red-necked Stints, a great bird to look for when learning how to start birdwatching.

How to start birdwatching – a helpful guide for beginners

January 18, 2022

John White

People looking at a sunset in a Top 10 Birdwatching Park in the US

The top 10 birdwatching parks in the USA

December 7, 2022

Sarah Cunningham

The Best US States For Birdwatching - map of USA with state names

The best US states for bird watching, a helpful illustrated guide

January 17, 2022

John White

Three people walking in nature in a highland, birdwatching and using one of the best free birdwatching apps

What are the best free birdwatching apps?

March 28, 2023

Will Hall

Children are outdoors, enthusiastically observing and admiring birds in their natural habitat.

12 of the best birdwatching apps in the USA

February 9, 2023

Sarah Cunningham

8x vs 10 x binoculars - person holding their pair in hand

Binoculars for birdwatching 8x vs 10x magnification

What Our Birders Say

Alex J

Friendly and helps to identify birds

Great birding app, good for logging your sightings, also has nice species guide. I'm enjoying the social aspect more than I expected, everyone seems friendly and helps to identify unknown birds. Good mix of newbies and experienced users.

Carl B

Helped me to identify more birds

Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.

Alice J

Awesome Birding Community

I absolutely love the community aspect of this app. The app is so user friendly and has fun interactive challenges to get you out birding. I’ve tried others but since I’ve started using Birda I’ve not gone back!

Pdydhdrexgi

Fantastic App

This is a really lovely app, for everyone interested in birds - from newbies to old hands. There is a very friendly feel to the community and you will genuinely learn a lot as you record your sightings and photos. There are lots of badges and competitions to keep you engaged, and a host of really useful features.

Stewart W

Fantastic to be involved

Fantastic to be involved, great for mental health and gets you responding with the Challenges that are to takd part in.

Paul F

Very good database

Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.

Foxgirl100

Great app for beginner twitchers

I’ve had a passion of photographing birds for a long time now but have only just gotten into proper birdwatching, and this app is brilliant for those just getting started. There is a great sense of community among users and the app is very easy to use and professional. Awesome app altogether

Patricia L

Very encouraging birding app

Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.

Anonymous

The best bird logging app

Birda is honestly the best bird logging app I have seen. I love all the features it has from being able to do a session and log all the birds you see in one sitting, to being able to connect with other birders from all over the globe!

JCBirding

Just what birding needs

We need more fun in birding, for years it has had a reputation for being up tight and stuffy and only perused by retirees and anoraks. Birda helps change that perception and firmly brings birding into the 21st century! Fun, interactive while still contributing to science and conservation. If you aren’t on it, why not??

As featured in