Glossy Ibis

Glossy Ibis
Breeding plumage
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Ciconiiformes
Family:	Threskiornithidae
Genus:	Plegadis
Species:	P. falcinellus
Binomial name
Plegadis falcinellus Linnaeus, 1766

The Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.

This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean region of the Americas. It is thought to have originated in the Old World and spread naturally from Africa to northern South America in the 19th century. This species is migratory; most European birds winter in Africa, and in North America birds from north of the Carolinas winter farther south. Birds from other populations may disperse widely outside the breeding season. While generally declining in Europe it has recently established a breeding colony in Southern Spain, and there appears to be a growing trend for the Spanish birds to winter in Britiain and Ireland.

Non-breeding plumage

The Glossy Ibis nests colonially in trees, often with herons. It is also gregarious when feeding in marshy wetlands; it preys on fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as occasionally on insects.

This species is 55–65 centimetres (22–26 in) long with an 88–105 centimetres (35–41 in) wingspan. Breeding adults have reddish-brown bodies and shiny bottle-green wings. Non-breeders and juveniles have duller bodies. This species has a brownish bill, dark facial skin bordered above and below in blue-gray (non-breeding) to cobalt blue (breeding), and red-brown legs. Unlike herons, ibises fly with necks outstretched, their flight being graceful and often in V-formation.

Sounds made by this rather quiet ibis include a variety of croaks and grunts, including a hoarse grrrr made when breeding.

The Glossy Ibis is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

Gallery

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  Non-breeding plumage

References

• BirdLife International (2009). "Plegadis falcinellus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.3. International Union for Conservation of Nature. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/144729. Retrieved 24 December 2010. 
• Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic
• Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 4th Edition

External links

• BirdLife Species Factsheet
• Glossy Ibis Information with photographs and sound from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.
• Glossy Ibis videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
• Glossy Ibis Information and Photos from South Dakota Birds and Birding
• Glossy Ibis Information from eNature.com
• Field Guide Photo Page on Flickr