Glossy Ibis

The Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a water bird in the order Pelecaniformes and the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The glossy ibis' food varies seasonally and depends heavily on what is readily available. Adult and larval insects, including aquatic beetles, dragonflies, damselflies, grasshoppers, crickets, flies, and caddisflies, as well as leeches, mollusks (such as mussels and snails), crustaceans (such as crabs and crayfish), and occasionally fish, amphibians, lizards, small snakes, and nesting birds, are among the prey.

It is a medium-sized ibis species. Its length ranges from 48 to 66 cm, averaging 59.4 cm, and its wingspan is 80 to 105 cm. The culmen is 9.7 to 14.4 cm long, each wing is 24.8 to 30.6 cm long, the tail is 9 to 11.2 cm long, and the tarsus is 6.8 to 11.3 cm long. This ibis's body weight can vary from 485 to 970 g. Adults that are breeding have a reddish brown body and glossy bottle-green wings. Juveniles and nonbreeders have duller bodies. This species has reddish-brown legs, a bill that is brownish, and black face skin that is edged above and below in blue-gray (non-breeding) to cobalt blue (breeding). Unlike herons, ibises fly with their necks extended, and they do so gracefully and frequently in a V formation. Its feathers are glossy as well.