Green Ibis Gallery

Mesembrinibis cayennensis

The Birds of the World website provides this introductory information about the Green Ibis:  The Green Ibis is a dark-colored ibis of wetlands and swampy woods in Central and South America. It is dark glossy green overall, but may appear blackish in poor light.  The only species in its genus, the Green Ibis is stockier and shorter-legged than the similar Plegadis ibises. It feeds on aquatic invertebrates by walking slowly and probing its long bill into mud, dirt, and shallow water. Birds typically occur alone or in pairs, but occasionally in small flocks. The twig nest is built high in a tree over water. The Green Ibis is resident in lowlands from Honduras south to northern Argentina, but in some parts of its range, with more seasonal rainfall, it shifts habitat, moving from forests in the wet season to open areas in the dry season.

I saw and photographed my first Green Ibis early on the morning of August 20, 2023.  Our Jeff Parker Tours group was in a Southwild boat on the Juruena River, Brazil, headed for the ferry landing when we saw this bird.  For details of my trip that included the sighting of the Green Ibis, look here.  Here are a few of the photos I took that morning of this distinctive bird.