Sacred ibis of Egypt, 19th-century illustration. The sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) is a carnivorous bird that probes for small animals in wetlands, grassland and fields. It lives throughout sub-Saharan Africa. In the religion of Ancient Egypt, it was linked to the god Thoth. In the background are the Colossi of Memnon surrounded by floodwaters. These monumental sandstone statues, facing east, depict pharaoh Amenhotep III, ruler of Egypt during the Eighteenth Dynasty. They date from around 1350 BC, and are located west of the River Nile in the Theban Necropolis. 18 metres in height, they were erected to guard the entrance to Amenhotep III's mortuary temple. Artwork published in 1868.