Usually, I see them near the coast in marshy areas. Their habitat ranges along the Atlantic coast from Maine down to Florida and across the Gulf coast to Texas. They are also in the West Indies and along the east coast of South America. They are not native to the west and likely migrated from Africa to our continent several hundred years ago. They are also found in Australia.
The Ibis is around 20-24” tall with a 3’ wing span, long legs, and a curved bill for probing. They have purple to black to greenish feathers on head, neck, back, and belly. In breeding season, they have a rusty red coloration on neck, chest and sides. This is when they are most beautiful and we were fortunate to photograph our local birds in breeding colors. For complete information on life cycle, etc of the Ibis, go to the Audubon site. The Greenville Daily Reflector on Saturday, May 2 ran a story with one of my pictures about this rare visit to the area.
My appreciation again to Howard for the tip on these birds! Please enjoy the photos below of these rare visitors to our area. Beautiful birds!!!!
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