Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis: Medium-sized wading bird that is iridescent bronze and red-brown overall with a thin band of blue white feathers around bare dark blue face and long, downcurved dusky yellow bill. Eyes dark and legs are yellow-gray. Sexes similar. Winter adult and juvenile show less red tones and iridescence and more brown.

● Song: croaks, soft grunting, or sheeplike "huu-huu-huu"

● Foraging & Feeding: Glossy Ibis: This ibis feeds by probing with its long bill into the ground and mud at the edges of marshes and wet fields. Its varied diet consists of crayfish and other invertebrates, as well as frogs, fish, and plants. Coastal birds forage in salt marshes and include crabs in their diet. Nearly always seen in groups of dozens or hundreds of birds.

● Breeding & nesting: Glossy Ibis: Nests in May in large colonies with ibis and other wading birds often mixing together. Three to four deep blue-green eggs are laid in a shallow cup of reeds lined with grass in low bushes in a marsh. Incubation period 21 days and is carried out by both sexes. Juveniles can leave the nest in 8 days in an emergency but can't fly until 28 days old.

● Similar species: Glossy Ibis: White-faced Ibis is very similar and must be separated with great care. Has a red skinned face and red legs during the breeding season, while the white border on the face extends around the back side of the eye and continues under the chin.

Flight Pattern