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Two Red-naped Ibises Provided Sikkim’s First Photographic Record

Adult red-naped ibis walking on grass at the Chambal River, India
Research · Ecology

A paper published in January 2026 documented the first photographic record of red-naped ibis (Pseudibis papillosa) reported from Sikkim, India. Two adults, identified as a male and a female, were photographed at Jorethang in South Sikkim on 27 July 2024.

Male and female red-naped ibis at Jorethang, South Sikkim
The two red-naped ibises photographed at Jorethang on 27 July 2024, the record documented in the study. Photo: Laxmi Rai / Rai, Rai & Chhetri (2026), Journal of Threatened Taxa. CC BY 4.0.

The birds were observed at 06:40 near the Rangeet River at an elevation of 332 metres. They perched high in a peepal tree (Ficus religiosa), where they made loud squealing calls. Information gathered locally and the researchers’ observations indicated that the birds crossed the Rangeet River to forage after their early-morning activity.

The authors noted that previous published bird checklists for Sikkim had not provided photographic documentation of the species, and the eBird checklist they consulted contained no red-naped ibis records for the state. They therefore regarded the observation as a useful addition to knowledge of the species’ distribution in the Sikkim Himalaya.

Sources and image credit

  1. Rai, L., Rai, K., & Chhetri, B. (2026). First photographic record of Red-naped Ibis Pseudibis papillosa Temminck, 1824 in Sikkim Himalaya, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 18(1), 28235–28238. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9822.18.1.28235-28238Primary peer-reviewed short communication, published online and in print 26 January 2026. Documents two adult red-naped ibises photographed at Jorethang, South Sikkim, on 27 July 2024 and reports the observation as Sikkim's first photographic record.

Image: Charles J. Sharp / Wikimedia Commons — red-naped ibis (Pseudibis papillosa) photographed at the Chambal River, Uttar Pradesh, India, 24 November 2017. Illustrative species photograph, not from the Sikkim study. · CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Source

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