# What Do Ibises Eat?

> What ibises eat: Carnivore (insects, frogs, small animals), foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Wetlands, marshes, rivers, and floodplains.

- **Species:** Ibis (*Threskiornis aethiopicus*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore (insects, frogs, small animals)
- **Habitat:** Wetlands, marshes, rivers, and floodplains
- **Lifespan:** Up to about 20 years
- **Top speed:** A strong, steady flier
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ibis/what-do-ibis-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ibis/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

An ibis is a long-legged wading bird with a distinctive long, down-curved bill used to probe mud and shallow water for food. The sacred ibis was revered in ancient Egypt. Ibises feed on insects, frogs, and small aquatic animals, nest in colonies, and often live around 20 years.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## The probing bill

An ibis is built for wetlands. Its long, slender, down-curved bill works like forceps, probing soft mud, shallow water, and grass for insects, worms, frogs, and small fish that it locates largely by touch. This lets ibises feed in murky water where sight-hunting birds struggle.

## Help protect the Ibis

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/ibis/what-do-ibis-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.