I is for Ibis
At the London Zoo we saw Scarlet Ibises which were most spectacular.
Their natural habitat is tropical South America and the Islands of the Caribbean, and they have protected status throughout the world. The Scarlet Ibis is genetically the same as the white Ibis, except for their pigmentation. Apparently there are some hybrid Ibises, which have pale orange or pinkish plumage.
The Scarlet Ibis is a sociable and gregarious bird, and very communally-minded regarding the search for food and the protection of the young. They live in flocks of thirty or more. Members stay close, and mating pairs arrange their nests in close proximity to other pairs in the same tree. For protection, flocks often congregate in large colonies. They also regularly share time among other avian creatures, gaining additional safety through numbers: storks, spoonbills, egrets, herons and ducks are all common companions during feedings and flights.
“The Ibis is a social bird
friendly to ducks and storks, I’ve heard.”
What a beauty! We have spoonbills in the Inlet at the moment but no Ibis that I could see.
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I’ve never seen Ibis in New Zealand, even white ones, but I loved seeing them in Sydney.
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