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White-faced Ibis

Plegadis chihiOrder: CICONIIFORMES Family: Ibises (Threskiornithidae)
Codes: Common Name: WFIB Scientific Name: PLECHI ITIS Taxonomic No.: 174926
Least Concern
 
White Faced Ibis
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

White-faced Ibis: Medium wading bird, iridescent bronze-brown overall, thin band of white feathers around bare red face, long, down curved bill. Red eyes, legs, feet. Feeds on invertebrates, frogs, fish. Alternates several shallow rapid wing beats and short glides. Flies in straight line formation.

Range and Habitat

White-faced Ibis: Breeds from Oregon sporadically east to Minnesota and south to southeastern New Mexico and Texas, and east to coastal Louisiana. Spends winters from southern California and the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana to El Salvador. Preferred habitats include salt and fresh marshes in the west, and coastal marshes and brushy islands in Louisiana and Texas.

Topo Map: Long-legged-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"oink", "graa-graa-graa"

Interesting Facts

 White-faced ibises are declining throughout North America, where continuing threats include draining of wetlands and the widespread use of pesticides.

 It is thought that the largest white-faced ibis nesting colony in the world can be found in the marshes around the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

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


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Santiago Cornejo

Splitbar
Range Map for White-faced Ibis

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Family Ibis (Threskiornithidae)_blue
Species Plegadis chihi
Length20 - 26 Inches
Wingspan37 Inches

White-faced Ibis

White-faced Ibis: Medium wading bird, iridescent bronze-brown overall, thin band of white feathers around bare red face, long, down curved bill. Red eyes, legs, feet. Feeds on invertebrates, frogs, fish. Alternates several shallow rapid wing beats and short glides. Flies in straight line formation.

● Song: "oink", "graa-graa-graa"

● Foraging & Feeding: White-faced Ibis: Diet consists of crayfish and other invertebrates, as well as frogs and fish. Coastal birds forage in salt marshes and include crabs in diet; feeds by probing mud with its long bill.

● Breeding & nesting: White-faced Ibis: Two to five pale blue green to dark turquoise eggs are laid in a shallow cup of reeds lined with grass and built in a low marsh bush. Incubation ranges from 17 to 26 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: White-faced Ibis: Glossy Ibis has blue-gray lores and dark legs.

Flight Pattern

Several rapid shallow wing beats followed by glide.
White-faced Ibis Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: White-faced Ibis: Breeds from Oregon sporadically east to Minnesota and south to southeastern New Mexico and Texas, and east to coastal Louisiana. Spends winters from southern California and the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana to El Salvador. Preferred habitats include salt and fresh marshes in the west, and coastal marshes and brushy islands in Louisiana and Texas.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationUncommon to fairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight25.6 Ounces
Long-legged-like BodyX
FaceX
The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

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.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX