Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) lives in freshwater wetlands across Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, North America. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
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The glossy ibis is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites across the warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Atlantic-Caribbean Americas. After severe declines in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the European population is now increasing, with thousands of pairs re-establishing colonies in Spain, France and other parts of Europe.
The glossy ibis was first recorded in the New World in 1817 when a specimen was noted in New Jersey, and Audubon observed it only once in Florida in 1832. Following that early presence, the species expanded its northern range during the 1940s and later pushed westward in the 1980s.
Glossy ibises construct their nests as platforms of twigs and vegetation positioned at least one metre above water, and in some colonies the platforms can be as high as seven metres in dense reeds, low trees or bushes. They lay three to four eggs, occasionally five, which are incubated jointly by the male and female for between 20 and 23 days, roughly three weeks.
Chicks can leave the nest after about seven days, but the parents keep feeding them for another six to seven weeks. Both male and female share incubation duties for 20-23 days before the eggs hatch. The nest is a platform of twigs positioned at least one metre above water, sometimes as high as seven metres, in dense reeds or low trees. After roughly 28 days the young are fully fledged and able to fly.
When human persecution is absent the birds roost in urban trees, even alongside busy highways and roads. Preferred roosting sites are normally large trees that can be some distance from the wetlands they feed in. At night the ibis often gathers in communal roosts, sometimes mixing with other waterbird species. These roosts may be located far from the feeding areas, highlighting their tolerance of human-altered landscapes.
Sources
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RangeSub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, North America
HabitatFreshwater wetlands
DietInsects and crustaceans
About the Glossy Ibis
In the warm, golden light of dawn, the Glossy Ibis stretches its slender, curved beak, unfolding like a dark, glossy scimitar as it prepares to take flight. With a slow, languid beat of its wings, it rises into the air, its iridescent feathers shimmering like polished onyx as it glides effortlessly across the marshy wetlands, its long legs trailing behind like a dark, slender bridal veil. As it moves, its very presence seems to embody the quiet, mystical beauty of the coastal landscapes it inhabits.
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