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Sacred Ibis in SC?



Dear birders,

A colleague of mine just received the following from a herpetologist friend
in  Enoree, SC (between Spartanburg and Columbia).  Here is what the friend
had to say about a recent outing:

"Sunday (11-5-00) At the pond, I saw a strange bird. Mainly white.
Egret size/shape, but with a curved bill and it had black bill/head/neck,
and black towards the rear. It was smaller than a Wood Stork and bigger
than an Ibis. I came home quickly, got my Peterson Guide and called Greg.
We met back at the pond. The bird was still there. It did not shy away
but fed in the shallows while we watched. We both agree that it sure isn't
in the Peterson Guide. Twice we made it fly. The lower neck, entire
body, and tail are white. (Wood storks have a black tail) On the wings
there is a 2-3 inch band of black on the outer edge (just the tips) of the
primary and secondary flight feathers (visible above and below)(Ibis have
black on the primary feathers only and on storks the entire
Primary/Secondary feather is black. The bird we saw had only black tips).
The neck/head were extended in flight as were the legs. Since getting home
I've seen some Internet pictures of something called "Sacred Ibis" of
Africa. Looks a LOT like our bird. I just don't know. I do know it
definitely is not in the Peterson Guide. Any ideas or thoughts? Please?"

This sure sounds like a Sacred Ibis to me.  Has anyone else reported it?
Might it be an escaped aviary bird?  Any info would be welcome.

Thanks,

Matthew Rowe
Department of Biology
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC  28608-2027
phone: 828-262-2676
email: rowemp@appstate.edu