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White Ibis

 Ibis in the Mangroves A White Ibis stands amidst mangrove branches and leaves. It is a side profile. It is partly in the shadows, though sunlight does fall on its beak, part of its neck, and where its back meets its neck. It has a red beak, red legs, blue eye, and white feathers.

White Ibises are beautiful birds. They're also peaceful to watch, especially when they're traveling together, quietly nibbling through the grass. With bright white feathers and a curved reddish beak, they are easy to identify. So it's interesting that when they're born, they don't have either trademark feature. 

Baby White Ibises are born with straight beaks.[1,2] Their feathers start out black on their heads and gray everywhere else.[1] Some babies might have a small white spot on the very top of their head.

Unlike Common Gallinules, which can go exploring on their first day,[3] a study on newborn White Ibises in captivity found that they spent most of their first day sleeping.[1] A day later, they could softly trill for food, and by day 6, they could fully extend their legs and stand up. By the end of the week, both captive and wild Ibises had mastered the art of begging for food.

A White Ibis walks about in the sunlight. The lower portion of its body is hidden by grass due to the low angle at which the photo was taken. Behind it, reeds can be seen and a little bit of water.
A White Ibis wandering by a lake.

A White Ibis stands in a shady area of mangroves. It looks over its shoulder at the camera. Its beak is mostly red, though it is black near the tip.
A White Ibis wandering in the mangroves.

Baby White Ibises' beaks start to curve when they are two weeks old.[1,2] However, they have a while to go until they're completely covered in pretty white feathers. As young juveniles, most of their feathers and beak are still dark.[4] As they age, but are still juveniles, their beak becomes redder, and their feathers become a funny patchwork of brown and white. They gain more and more white feathers as they grow into adults.

White Ibises have a wide diet, from crabs and crayfish to tiny fish and insects.[5] They hunt mostly by touch, not by sight.[6] Their bill is their tool: they can nibble along, thrust their bills under roots, or swing their heads from side to side like a metal detector, looking for a meal. The moment they touch their food is the moment they attack; they're not into chasing their prey.[7] 

Two White Ibises stand in different areas of the tree, amidst a tangle of branches. The one on a higher branch stands on one leg. water can be seen below the tree.
Hanging out with a friend.

 But there's something they need to look out for: thieves!

White Ibises often travel in groups, and they can feed in multi-species groups of up to 5,000 birds.[7]  (That's one big bird cafeteria.) So when a White Ibis finds something tasty, it needs to watch out, especially if it's found something large. One study found that White Ibises had trouble handling large prey, and other birds often stole their food. Obviously, no one likes their food stolen, so the White Ibis will try to fly away, but that's just one more thing to worry about when you're trying to hang onto something large. The study found that when the White Ibises dropped something big, they often just let it go, as if it weren't worth the hassle. 

A White Ibis looks out at the camera amidst dappled shade. Tree branches and leaves can be seen behind it.

As I said before, White Ibises are special. Whether it's a lone White Ibis walking through a yard or a group gliding across the sunset, they're a peaceful, beautiful touch of white. Usually when I see them, they're just quietly doing their thing. See for yourself: here's a video of a group of them quietly munching their way through the grass next to a parking lot.


The Details:

Common Name: White Ibis
Scientific Name: Eudocimus albus
Family: Threskiornithidae
Seen: Walking around in the mangroves (pictures 1 & 3), hanging out near a lake (pictures 2, 4, & 5), and walking in a group in a grassy area near a parking lot (video)
Month:
Range: The White Ibis is found all year long throughout Florida, as well as other state coastlines in the southeast, such as the coastlines of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and part of North Carolina.[8] It is found inland for some of those states when it is migrating. Outside of the U.S., it can be found in parts of the Caribbean Islands and Central and South America. The Cornell Lab has a helpful range map on its website.

Learn More:

  1. DeSanto, T. L., McDowell, S. G., Bildstein, K. L. (1990). Plumage and behavioral development of nestling White Ibises. The Wilson Bulletin, 102(2), 226-238.
  2. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). White Ibis: Overview. All About Birds. 
  3. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.). Common Gallinule: Identification. All About Birds.
  4. Sibley, D. A. (2014). The Sibley guide to birds (2nd ed.). Alfred A. Knopf.
  5. Kaufman, K. (1996). Lives of North American birds. Houghton Mifflin.
  6. Kushlan, J. A. (1977). Foraging behavior of the White Ibis. The Wilson Bulletin, 89(2), 342-345.
  7. Kushlan, J. A. (1979). Feeding ecology and prey selection in the White Ibis. The Condor, 81(4), 376-389. https://doi.org/10.2307/1366963
  8. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (n.d.) White Ibis: Range map. All About Birds.
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