The white ibis is a midsized member of the Family Threskiornithidae. This species is approximately 22 inches (56 centimeters) long with a wingspan of approximately 37
inches (96 centimeters) (Frederick 1996). Adults are normally white with black-tipped wings, a red face, red legs, and a very distinct downcurved, pink bill which is used
to probe the ground for food while foraging.
The diet of the white ibis primarily consists of crabs, crayfish, fish, snakes, frogs, and insects. Ibis breed in large colonial groups along the coast and inland between
February and October, with the peak in the spring and summer. Nests are made of sticks, leaves, and roots, and can be found both on the ground and as high as 50feet (15.2 meters)
up in trees. Females lay between two and four eggs in one nesting and incubation can last up to 22 days with both parents sharing incubation responsibility. Between the ages of 9 and 16 days,
the young become more mobile; however, the young generally remain in the nest until they are 28 to 35 days old.
White Ibis prefer coastal marshes and wetlands, feeding in fresh, brackish, and saltwater environments. They range from Baja California and Sinaloa, Mexico, east through south Texas,
Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, coastal North Carolina, south throughout the Greater Antilles, and South America to Peru, and French Guiana. This species is found throughout most of Florida.
Everglades Eco-Safari Half Day Tour
Jump back to the Everglades Reference Index