Glossy Ibis

Overview
Glossy Ibis: Medium wading bird, iridescent bronze and red-brown overall with thin band of white feathers around bare dark blue face and long, down curved, gray bill. Eyes are dark, legs are yellow-gray. Alternates several shallow rapid wing beats and short glides. Flies in straight line formation.

Range and Habitat
Glossy Ibis: Most common in marshes and wetlands along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts; occasionally wanders inland. Scattered populations occur in and around the Caribbean Basin on the Yucatan Peninsula and northern Venezuela; also widespread in Eurasia, southeast Asia, Pacific Islands, Africa, and Australia.

The Glossy Ibis is considered to be a Least Concern. The previous rating for the Glossy Ibis in 2000 was Lower Risk. Today the range of this bird species is several million square kilometers. The population of this bird species is estimated to be in excess of 3 million. This bird is native to a good portion of the world and visits many other portions as well. Due to its large size and the breadth of its range, there are not believed to be any immediate threats to the Glossy Ibis.

INTERESTING FACTS
American populations of the GlossyIbis are thought to have come from Africa in the 19th Century and have spread northward via the Caribbean. Once an uncommon bird in its U.S. range, it is steadily increasing in numbers and span. Unlike herons, ibises fly with their necks stretched out. A group of ibises has many collective nouns, including a "congregation", "stand", and "wedge" of ibises.