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Bird name:

Scarlet Ibis

Eudocimus ruberOrder: CICONIIFORMES Family: Ibises (Threskiornithidae)

Codes: Common Name: SCIB Scientific Name: EUDRUB ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174931

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Scarlet Ibis: This nervous and wary South American species was introduced in Florida and is unmistakable with its bright scarlet plumage, pink skin on face, pink bill and red legs. Black primaries are seen only in flight. Often breeds with the White Ibis producing various shades of pink offspring.

Range and Habitat

Scarlet Ibis: South American species introduced in Florida either deliberately or by escaped birds. Prefers shallow marshy areas and cypress swamps as well as inland wetlands, pastures, lawns, and shallow ponds.

Topo Map:

Voice Text

"gwe, gwe", "tior, tior"

Interesting Facts

The Scarlet Ibis is the national bird of Trinidad and is featured on the Trinidad and Tobago coat of arms along with Tobago's national bird.

Their life span is around 15 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity.

Their brilliant red plumage comes from pigments in the bodies of crustaceans on which it feeds.

A group of ibises has many collective nouns, including a "congregation", "stand", and "wedge" of ibises.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Jane Wright Splitbar

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Scarlet Ibis

● Song: "gwe, gwe", "tior, tior"

● Foraging & Feeding: Scarlet Ibis: Eats mainly crustaceans but will also eat fish and other aquatic vertebrates. Probes in shallow water with its large decurved bill.

● Breeding & nesting: Scarlet Ibis: Two to three dull olive-green to buff eggs laid in a frail nest of sticks placed in the fork of branches high in mangrove trees or in shrubs. Will use abandoned nests of herons or egrets.

● Similar species: Scarlet Ibis: White Ibis is similar in shape but white. White Ibis juveniles are similar but Scarlet Ibis juvenile has grayer brown underparts.

Flight Pattern

Flap and glide with rapid wing beats in a straight line.

● Range & Habitat: Scarlet Ibis: South American species introduced in Florida either deliberately or by escaped birds. Prefers shallow marshy areas and cypress swamps as well as inland wetlands, pastures, lawns, and shallow ponds.

^BreedingColonial nester

^PopulationCasual

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight20.8 Ounces

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

Primaries

The primaries are the flight feathers specialized for flight. They are attached to the "hand" equivalent part of the wing.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Scarlet Ibis

Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips

Overview

Range and Habitat

Topo Map:

Voice Text

Interesting Facts

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Scarlet Ibis

Flight Pattern