Eudocimus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Scarlet Ibis
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E. albus |
Eudocimus is a genus of ibises, wading birds of the family Threskiornithidae. They occur in the warmer parts of the New World with representatives from the southern United States south through Central America, the West Indies and South America.
There are just two species in this genus,
- American White Ibis, Eudocimus albus
- Scarlet Ibis, Eudocimus ruber
The two species hybridise are sometimes considered conspecific.
These birds are found in marshy wetlands, often near coasts. They build stick nests in trees or bushes over water, and 2 to 5 eggs are the typical clutch. Eudocimus ibises are monogomous and colonial, often nesting in mixed colonies with other wading species.
Adults are 56-61 cm long with a 85-95 cm wingspan. They have long curved bills, pink legs and bare red faces. The plumage is all-white (albus) or all-scarlet (ruber), except for the black wing-tips which are easily visible in flight. Juveniles are largely brown with white underparts and duller bare parts.
Eudocimus ibises feed by probing with their long, downcurved beaks. Their diet consists of fish, frogs, crustaceans and insects. They fly with neck and legs outstreched, often in long, loose lines especially on their way to or from the night-time roosts
[edit] References
- A guide to the birds of Costa Rica by Stiles and Skutch ISBN 0-8014-9600-4
- Birds of Venezuela by Hilty, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
