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Birds of Zihuatanejo

CLASS AVES

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Chordates (Phylum Chordata)

-Vertebrates (Subphylum Vertebrata)

-Birds (Class Aves)

-Pelicans, Herons, Ibises, and Allies (Order Pelecaniformes)

-Ibises and Spoonbills (Family Threskiornithidae)

-White and Scarlet (Ibises Genus Eudocimus)

-White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)


An adult white ibis is easy to identify thanks to its red legs and red, down-curved bill, which stand out on an otherwise white bird. Most often white ibis are seen in small or large flocks. The white ibis’s diet is heavy on crustaceans where available, including fiddler crabs, crayfish, grass shrimp, and others. Insects and some small fish and snakes, frogs, snails, and other animals are also caught and eaten. Young birds cannot tolerate salt and must feed on freshwater prey, such as crayfish.

White Ibis

Eudocimus albus

Diet

  • Primarily crustaceans, especially crayfish, crabs, and shrimp.

  • Also feeds on aquatic insects, worms, snails, frogs, small fish, and other aquatic invertebrates.

  • Forages by probing its long, down-curved bill through mud and shallow water to locate prey by touch.

Range

  • Found from the southeastern United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and the northern coast of South America.

  • In Mexico, it occurs along both the Pacific and Gulf coasts, including the Zihuatanejo region, where it is a common year-round resident in suitable wetland habitats.

  • Inhabits mangroves, estuaries, coastal lagoons, marshes, mudflats, flooded fields, and freshwater wetlands.

  • Often nests colonially with herons, egrets, spoonbills, and other wading birds.

Male / Female

  • Male: Pure white plumage with black wing tips visible only in flight, a long red-orange decurved bill, and red facial skin and legs. Males are noticeably larger with longer bills.

  • Female: Similar plumage and coloration but smaller, with a shorter and more slender bill.

  • Juveniles: Brown upperparts with whitish underparts, gradually moulting into the white adult plumage during their first year.

  • Sexes are best distinguished by size and bill length, as plumage is otherwise identical.

Size

  • Length: 56–71 cm (22–28 in)

  • Wingspan: 95–105 cm (37–41 in)

  • Weight: 750–1,050 g (1.7–2.3 lb)

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