GLOSSY IBIS GALLERY
(Plegadis falcinellus)

eBird provides the following description for the Glossy Ibis:  Long, curved bill. Adults mostly dark with iridescent green and reddish tones. Very thin white border surrounding the dark facial skin. Dark eyes. Usually gregarious, it is found mainly in salty marshes and shallow wetlands. Unmistakeable in most of its range, though American birds are best distinguished from White-faced Ibis by distribution and facial pattern.

I saw my first Glossy Ibis at Shoveler Pond in the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge on May 21, 2020.  I immediately knew that this was a new species to me because of the iridescent tone of the body.  A beautiful bird!

Glossy Ibis at Shoveler Pond, Anahuac NWR, May 21, 2020.
A little closer shot of the Glossy Ibis at Anahuac NWR, May 21, 2020.

Glossy Ibis “Cool Facts” From All About Birds…

  • Flocks of Glossy Ibis forage quite close together, advancing slowly as they probe a muddy area. This activity often attracts Snowy Egrets and other species of waders, which capture minnows and other prey moving away from the feeding ibis flocks.
  • Glossy Ibises nest in colonies, often among other species of ibis, heron, egret, or spoonbill. Colonial nesters have the advantage of many extra sets of eyes looking out for predators. Colonies might also be places where highly gregarious species like ibises can share information about the most productive foraging areas.
  • Glossy Ibis is a cosmopolitan species, also found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. In recent decades, its population in Spain has been increasing rapidly, probably helped by increased rice cultivation there. Glossy Ibises banded in Spain have turned up as far away as Barbados, having crossed the Atlantic—a remarkable feat but one that several species of heron and egret have managed as well.
  • The oldest recorded Glossy Ibis was at least 21 years old and lived in Virginia between 1971 and 1992.