American White Ibis

Young American White Ibis in Florida

The White Ibis ( Eudocimus albus) is a walking bird ( Ciconiiformes ) from the subfamily of ibises ( Threskiornithinae ), which occurs in America.

Dissemination

The White Ibis lives in northern South America, Central America, Mexico and the United States, along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and on the coast of Georgia and South Carolina. Preferably, it stays in coastal waters, in lagoons, swamps and mangroves.

Features

White Ibis have a white plumage, red legs and a red, bare facial skin. The beak is red with a dark tip. The outermost, dark wing tips are visible only in flight. Young birds have a brown back and wing-coverts. The brown neck and head are speckled white. White Ibis are 64 inches long and can reach a wingspan of 94 centimeters.

Way of life

White Ibis feed on fish, crabs, molluscs and insects. The birds breed in large colonies, along with other water birds on bushes and trees. The nest consists of two to five eggs. White Ibis form hybrids with the closely related Scarlet Ibis ( Eudocimus ruber).