White Ibis

Posted by Pat Stewart on Nov 20, 2011 in Birds, Jupiter, FL, My Blog, Shore Birds | 0 comments

I saw my first White Ibis in Florida as we walked along the banks of the Jupiter Inlet.  We were posing for photos and then this lovely, lanky bird walks right toward us as if to say “Hey, you should be photographing me.  Am I not graceful?”  Of course, I turned my camera to the ibis and just love the graceful stroll he took right by us.

The White Ibis are wading birds of the deep South, always looking down to see what they can find for dinner or a snack.  They have pink skin on their faces, legs and bills.  This pink turns almost scarlet in breeding season.  The birds appear totally white but the black edges to the underneath part of their wings is only seen when they are in flight.  Their favorite habitat is salt marshes, but they can also be seen walking along lawns probing for insects to eat.