Snow ibis
| Snow ibis | ||||||||||
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Young American snow ibis in Florida |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Eudocimus albus | ||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The snow ibis ( Eudocimus albus ) is an American species of bird from the family of ibises and spoonbills (Threskiornithidae) within the order Pelecaniformes .
distribution
The snow ibis lives in northern South America , in Central America , Mexico and in the USA , along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico , in Florida and on the coast of Georgia and South Carolina . He prefers to stay near the coast, in lagoons , swamps and mangroves .
features
Snow ibis have white plumage , red legs and red, bare facial skin. The beak is red with a dark tip. The outermost, dark wing tips are only visible in flight. Fledglings have brown backs and wing-coverts. The brown neck and head are speckled with white. Snow ibis are 64 centimeters long and have a wingspan of 94 centimeters.
Way of life
Snow ibis feed on fish, crabs , molluscs and insects . The birds breed in large colonies, along with other waterfowl on bushes and trees. The clutch consists of two to five eggs. Snow ibis form hybrids with the closely related scarlet ibis ( Eudocimus ruber ).
literature
- National Geographic Society: Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Second Edition . National Geographic, ISBN 0-87044-692-4
Web links
- Eudocimus albus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed January 31 of 2009.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings of Eudocimus albus in the Internet Bird Collection