Glossy Ibis Identification

Breeding adult

Juvenile

Forages in shallow marshes by probing into the mud with its curved bill to catch aquatic invertebrates.

Juvenile

Juveniles are duller brown overall with some white streaking on the neck. Note dark underparts.

Breeding adult

Flies with neck outstretched and legs trailing behind. Wings, lower back, and tail are metallic shades of green, rust, and purple, but it often appears all dark, especially at a distance.

Juvenile

Flies with neck outstretched, sometimes drooping slightly. Juveniles are all dark below.

Breeding adult

Large, long-legged wading bird with a football-shaped body and a long curved bill. Adults are rich chestnut with metallic green wings. Breeding birds have dark facial skin with pale lines extending from the bill to the eye, but not around the eye.

Nonbreeding adult

Nonbreeding adult/immature

Breeding adult (with White-faced Ibis)

Large wading bird with a rich chestnut-colored body. The other 3 birds are White-faced Ibis—note they have white going all the way around the eye, bare pink facial skin, and reddish legs.

Nonbreeding adult

Found in freshwater marshes, saltmarshes, mudflats, mangroves, and flooded fields.