Clorhynchus strophiatus Hodgson, 1835 The ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii) is a bird related to the waders, but sufficiently distinctive to merit its own family Ibidorhynchidae.

The ibisbill belongs to the order Charadriiformes which also includes the sandpipers, plovers, terns, auks, gulls, skuas and others.

Although its evolutionary relationships are not fully understood, the ibisbill appears to be most closely related to a group including the oystercatchers, avocets, stilts and Pluvialis plovers,[2] but sufficiently distinctive to merit its own family, Ibidorhynchidae.

[4][5] Hodgson later suggested a new genus name of Clorhynchus for the bird stating that Gould's description of Ibidorhyncha was inaccurate while Vieillot's Erolia had been rejected.

[3] The Ibisbills are common in Central Asia and the Himalayas, from Lake Issyk-Kul to the southern border of Manchuria, in Russia in the Altai.

They also live in the highlands of the Central and Northern Tien Shan, within Kazakhstan along the valleys of the rivers Bolshaya and Malaya Almatinka, Chilik, Issyk, Karkara, Bayankol, Dzhungar Alatau, Choldysu.

[3] It typically is found in shingle-bed river valleys from 100 to 1,500 m (330 to 4,920 ft) across with patches of sand and silt mixed in with pebbles and small boulders.

The river valleys frequented by the ibisbill tend to have very little vegetation and gentle slopes to ensure a slow flow of water.

During the breeding season, the ibisbill is known to run short distances while holding the head down, only standing upright to look at its surroundings.

[3] It will take a variety of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates including caddisfly and mayfly larvae that hide under boulders in streams,[13] grasshoppers[10] and also small fish.