White Faced Ibis

I was out checking on the momma goose. She has been nesting for the last few weeks out on the island. On my way out there, I saw a bird I did not recognize. It had a long curved beak and was about the size of an large duck. Dark with iridescent feathers. Hard to approach. I caught a few pictures on the far side of the pond. More as it flew circuits around the perimeter. Eventually it settled down and let me get some photos.

Beyond the long, curved beak, the thing most striking about it was the red coloration around the eye. From the Houston Audubon:

The White-faced Ibis is a medium-sized wading bird with greenish iridescent wings and a deep reddish-brown head and body. It has a patch of bright white skin on its face and a hefty downward-curved bill, which it uses to probe for food such as insects, worms, frogs, and crabs. White-faced Ibis can be found in marshy areas where there is plenty of shallow water and mud for foraging. When in flight, the White-faced Ibis holds its head straight out forward and its feet straight backward, which gives it a very flat profile and makes its curved bill easily noticeable.

It seems the white faced ibis and the glossy ibis can be confused, but the “White-faced Ibis can be identified by their red eyes, more reddish legs, and larger patch of white on the face that extends to behind the eye.” Definitely a match.

My favorite picture is a silhouette of the ibis flying against the cloudy sky. I was lucky to get the shot.

We are beginning to think that the Ranch might be a great place for birders. Lots of different and unusual (for this novice birder) species.

— KLM