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Colophon

The animal on the cover of Google Analytics is the African sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus). This bird was revered in ancient Egypt as a symbol of the god Thoth, who was usually portrayed with the head of an ibis. It was common for the birds to be ritually mummified and buried with high officials as representations of wisdom—however, killing them for secular reasons was punishable by death. The word “ibis” is Greek, but itself derived from the ancient Egyptian “hîb.”

Though worshipped there in the past, the sacred ibis no longer ranges through Egypt. In that country, its marshland habitat has been largely destroyed by the spread of civilization. The birds still thrive in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Iraq. They have also been introduced into France, Italy, and Spain, perhaps to the detriment of local species like terns and egrets: the ibises prey upon them and usurp their nesting grounds. The sacred ibis is highly social and lives in large colonies not only for nesting season, but also for regular activities like feeding and sleeping, making it rather formidable competition.

Sacred ibises are large long-legged birds (around 25‒29 inches tall) with white plumage and black tail feathers. An ibis’s head and neck are bald, with black scaly skin. All ibis species have slender downturned beaks, with which they forage for food in shallow water, mud, and occasionally dry land. Their diet consists primarily of small aquatic insects and amphibians, but they will also eat smaller ...