Glossy Ibis

The Glossy Ibis appears almost black at a distance, but at close range or in good light its plumage reveals a rich iridescent sheen of bronze, chestnut, purple, and green across the body and wings. It has the classic ibis shape: a long, slender, down-curved bill, long legs, and an elongated neck often held outstretched in flight.

This is by far the most widely distributed ibis species in the world, breeding on nearly every continent apart from Antarctica, and its range has been expanding in recent decades, including a notable spread into new areas of North America and Europe.

Key field marks

• Overall dark plumage with iridescent bronze, purple, and green sheen
• Long, thin, down-curved bill
• Long neck extended in flight (unlike herons, which tuck their necks)
• Flies in loose lines or V-formations

Similar species

The White-faced Ibis is nearly identical and best distinguished in breeding plumage by a thin band of white feathering around the red facial skin and eye (absent or less complete in Glossy Ibis) and reddish rather than grey-brown legs. Careful attention to face and leg color is often needed to separate the two where ranges overlap.

Habitat

Glossy Ibis use shallow freshwater and brackish wetlands, including marshes, flooded fields, wet meadows, and the margins of lakes and rivers.

Range and migration

It has an enormous global distribution across parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Many populations are migratory or nomadic, tracking rainfall and wetland conditions, and the species has expanded its range substantially in North America in recent decades.

Behavior

Highly social, Glossy Ibis forage, roost, and migrate in flocks, often mixing with egrets, herons, and other ibis species, and fly with their neck and legs extended in loose lines.

Voice

A nasal, grunting series of croaks, given mainly around nesting colonies.

Feeding

It probes mud and shallow water with its curved bill for insects, crustaceans, and small fish, often walking steadily through wet grasslands and flooded fields.

Nesting and breeding

Glossy Ibis nest colonially, frequently alongside herons and egrets, building stick nests in trees, shrubs, or reeds; clutches usually contain 3-4 eggs.