Bird name:

White-faced Ibis

Plegadis chihi

Order

CICONIIFORMES

Family

Ibises (Threskiornithidae)

Code 4

WFIB

Code 6

PLECHI

ITIS

174926

Breeding Location:

Marshes, freshwater, Swamps

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Uncommon to fairly common

Egg Color:

Pale blue green to dark turquoise

Number of Eggs:

2 - 5

Incubation Days:

17 - 26

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Bulrushes or other plant stems with depression in center.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

White-faced Ibis: Medium-sized wading bird, iridescent bronze-brown overall with thin band of white feathers around bare red face, and long, down curved bill. Eyes and legs are red. Sexes are similar. Winter adult lacks white on face.

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.

Breeding and 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.

Foraging and 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.

Vocalization

White-faced Ibis: While feeding, emits a multi-syllable "oink." Also makes a low-pitched "graa-graa-graa."

Similar Species

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

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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.

Face

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

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