Plegadis falcinellus

Glossy Ibis

Family: Threskiornithidae · Class: Aves · Order: Pelecaniformes

The Glossy Ibis is a medium-sized wading bird with distinctive curved bill and iridescent plumage. Adults measure 48 to 66 cm (19 to 26 inches) in length with a wingspan of 80 to 105 cm (31 to 41 inches), weighing between 485 to 970 grams (1.1 to 2.1 pounds). During breeding season, adults display glossy bronze-green plumage on the head, neck, back, and wings with purplish-bronze highlights. The long, decurved bill is dark brown to black, and legs are dark greenish-brown. Non-breeding adults appear duller with brown plumage and white streaking on the head and neck. Juveniles are predominantly brown with less glossy coloration. The Glossy Ibis has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution but occurs irregularly in California as a vagrant species. Most California records come from the Central Valley, coastal areas, and the Salton Sea region. The species breeds primarily in the eastern United States, with the largest populations concentrated in Florida, Louisiana, and along the Atlantic coast. Western North American populations are extremely small, with sporadic breeding attempts documented in Nevada and Utah. Glossy Ibis inhabit shallow wetland environments including freshwater marshes, flooded fields, mudflats, and the margins of lakes and ponds. They prefer areas with water depths of 5 to 25 cm (2 to 10 inches) and abundant emergent vegetation. During foraging, they utilize rice fields, irrigation ditches, and sewage treatment ponds. The species typically avoids saltwater environments but may occasionally feed in brackish marshes and tidal mudflats. Glossy Ibis are highly social, often foraging and roosting in mixed flocks with other wading birds including herons, egrets, and other ibis species. They feed by probing soft substrates with their sensitive bills, consuming aquatic invertebrates, small fish, amphibians, crustaceans, and aquatic insects. Primary prey includes crayfish, worms, leeches, and larval insects. The species employs tactile feeding methods, sweeping the bill side to side through water and mud. Breeding occurs in colonial rookeries, typically in trees or shrubs over water. Nests are constructed of sticks and vegetation, with females laying 3 to 4 blue-green eggs. Incubation lasts 20 to 23 days, and young fledge after 28 to 35 days. The Glossy Ibis is not federally or state listed in California due to its irregular occurrence as a vagrant species. According to eBird data, California records total fewer than 200 documented sightings since 1950, with most observations occurring during fall and winter months. The North American population has expanded westward since the 1960s, but breeding remains concentrated in eastern regions. Primary threats include wetland habitat loss, water management practices that alter flooding patterns in agricultural areas, and pesticide contamination. Climate change may influence future distribution patterns and vagrant occurrence frequency in California.

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, and more.