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ABOUT THIS SPECIES

WHITE IBIS – (Species Account Blog #83)

TAXONOMIC TREE:  

• ORDER: Pelecaniformes,
• FAMILY: Threskiornithidae,
• BINOMIAL NAME: Eudocimus albus

The White Ibis is a striking, white wading bird with a long, distinctively decurved bill. It usually nests, feeds, and flies in large conspecific flocks. Adults are white with a bit of black on the wingtips. Red decurved bill and pinkish-red legs. Bright blue eyes. Immatures are half brown, half white. Forages in saltmarshes and shallow wetlands, often in flocks. In flight, flaps quickly and then glides on bowed wings. (from Birds of the World)

SIMILAR SPECIES

Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) also has a downwardcurving bill but is uniformly dark. Adult glossy ibis has purplish coloration, and young birds are uniformly brown. An immature glossy ibis could be mistaken for a juvenile white ibis, but glossy ibis lacks the white patch on the back (best seen during flight) and belly is dark, not white. Bills of all egrets and herons are straight, not curved.

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

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PERSONAL OBSERVATION ANECDOTES

In Costa Rica we observed several White Ibis along the Tárcoles River.

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PHOTO GALLERY

**Some of these Photo Gallery images (all taken by me) have been taken in other nearby countries.

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RECENT BLOG POSTS

View the five most recent Birds & Birding in Costa Rica series blog posts below.

• A Streak-headed Woodcreeper Feeds its Offspring Near the Arenal Observatory Lodge, Costa Rica
• PALE-BILLED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• SMOKY-BROWN WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• HOFFMANN’S WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding
• BLACK-CHEEKED WOODPECKER – Pura Vida Birds and Birding