White-faced Ibis
| White-faced Ibis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Breeding plumage | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Subclass: | Neornithes |
| Infraclass: | Neognathae |
| Superorder: | Neoaves |
| Order: | Ciconiiformes |
| Family: | Threskiornithidae |
| Genus: | Plegadis |
| Species: | P. chihi |
| Binomial name | |
| Plegadis chihi (Vieillot, 1817) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Plegadis falcinellus chihi | |
The White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.
This species breeds colonially in marshes, usually nesting in bushes or low trees. Its breeding range extends from the western USA south through Mexico, as well as from southeastern Brazil and southeastern Bolivia south to central Argentina, and along the coast of central Chile. Its winter range extends from southern California and Louisiana south to include the rest of its breeding range.
Description
The White-faced Ibis is very similar to the Glossy Ibis in its non-breeding plumages, but it tends to be slightly smaller and the plumage color is somewhat warmer. Breeding adults have a pink bare face bordered with white feathers (rather than a bluish bare face with no bordering feathers), a grey bill, and brighter colored, redder legs. Adults have red eyes year-round, whereas Glossy Ibises have dark eyes. Juveniles of the two species are nearly identical.[2]
Distribution
The White-faced Ibis occurs in Canada, the United States, Central America and the southern half of South America.[1] It seems that this was originally an Old World species and seems to have arrived in the United States in 1817. By the beginning of the 20th century, it was established around the Gulf of Mexico and in Florida but there were still only about fifty breeding pairs in the mid 1930s. A decade later it had reached Long island and Louisiana. By the 1980s, it had spread to much of the southeastern United States and the Atlantic Coast with a few birds reaching the Greater Antilles, Costa Rica and northern Venezuela.[2] In 2012, the total population size was estimated to be 1.2 million individuals, and increasing. The IUCN rates it as being of "Least Concern".[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 BirdLife International (2012). "Plegadis chihi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "White-faced Ibis". Birding Hawaii. 2004. Retrieved 2013-12-23.
- The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Sibley, 2000, ISBN 0-679-45122-6
- Askwiki.com, For more information!
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to White-faced Ibis. |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Plegadis chihi |
- White-faced Ibis Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- White-faced Ibis - Plegadis chihi - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- White-faced Ibis videos, photos, and sounds at the Internet Bird Collection
- White-faced Ibis photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
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