White Ibis

The White Ibis belongs to the group Threskiornithidae which is the family of birds that ibises and spoonbills belong to. As an adult, the White Ibes is white with a red beak, face, and legs with a black tip on the wing. When they are young they have brown bodies and their beaks are straight, as they mature they become white and their beaks will curve down. They are very common throughout the southeastern parts of the United States. In the wild, you can spot them the most in shallow wetlands, marshes, and estuaries, but you can find them anywhere there is water as well. They nest in trees and bushes near water. In some parts, they are accustomed to people and can be found on lawns and parking lots searching for food. These birds catch food by wading in the water and probing their beaks in the water. Sometimes when their hunting egrets and herons will follow them to take advantage of the prey that got stirred up by the ibis probing. They are carnivorous and eat a variety of things, these include crabs, frogs, fish, snakes, crayfish, and insects. They have a wingspan of 37 in (96 cm) and are around the size of a mallard duck.

“Ibises.” SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/birds/ibises/#:~:text=The%20white%20ibis%20weighs%20approximately,small%20snakes%2C%20and%20plant%20matter.

White Ibis - EBird. https://ebird.org/species/whiibi.

“White Ibis Overview, All about Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.” Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White_Ibis/overview.

“White Ibis.” Audubon, 1 Sept. 2022, https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/white-ibis#.

“White Ibis.” Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission, https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/waterbirds/white-ibis/.