Details
Plegadis falcinellus
The glossy ibis is a dark wetland ibis with metallic sheen in the plumage. Its long downcurved bill probes mud for small animals.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It uses marshes, shallow lakes, floodplains, rice fields, and estuaries across Palearctic, Afrotropical, Nearctic, Australasian, and Indomalayan regions. Colonies nest in reeds or low shrubs.
Length is 48-66 cm and weight 485-970 g. Plumage is dark chestnut with green and purple gloss, and the legs and curved bill are long.
Diurnal and colonial, it often forages in flocks. Birds walk through shallows while probing mud with the bill.
A carnivore, it eats aquatic insects, crustaceans, worms, snails, small fish, and frogs. Touch-sensitive probing lets it find prey in murky water or soft mud.
Nests of stems and sticks are built in reedbeds, shrubs, or trees. Both adults incubate and feed chicks within the colony.
It is listed as Least Concern. Wetlands with natural water variation support the species, while drainage and pesticide exposure can affect local sites.
