A hadeda: nothing can quite capture the sound of these birds, because it’s mainly just rude noise

‘Up close, hadedas have an alarmed expression, as though they have heard far too much,’ writes Helen Sullivan Photograph: Universal Images Group North America LLC/Alamy

Hadedas are iridescent grey-brown ibises – jack russell-sized birds with long, curved bills and very small heads – found throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

They have a special skill called “remote touch”, which they use to find their worm, grub and snail prey. At the tip of their bills is an organ that, when they stick it into the soil, can sense the vibrations of their food nearby.