Scarlet ibis
This bird lives at Banham Zoo in Norfolk.
The Scarlet ibis is a medium-sized wader that inhabits tropical South America and part of the Caribbean. It is one of the two national birds of Trinidad and Tobago, the other being the cocrico, and both are featured on the country's coat of arms.
Adults are 22 to 25 in. (55 to 63 cm) long, with males slightly larger than females, typically weigh is about 3.1 lb. (1.4 kg). The wingspan of an adult is around 21 in. (54 cm).
Adult plumage is virtually all scarlet. The feathers may show various tints and shades, but only the tips of their wings deviate from their namesake colour. A small but reliable marking, these wingtips are a rich inky black, or occasionally dark blue, and are found only on the longest primary feathers. The bird has a long, narrow, decurved red bill and red feet however the bill is sometimes blackish, especially toward the end. Their legs and neck are long and extended in flight.
A juvenile scarlet ibis is a mix of grey, brown, and white. As it grows, a heavy diet of red crustaceans produces the scarlet coloration. The colour change begins with the juvenile's second moult, around the time it begins to fly. The change starts on the back and spreads gradually across the body while increasing in intensity over a period of about two years. The scarlet ibis is the only shorebird with red coloration in the world
Though it spends most of its time on foot or wading through water, the bird is a very strong flyer. They are highly migratory and easily capable of long-distance flight. They move as flocks in a classic 'V' formation.
The range of the scarlet ibis is very large, and colonies are found throughout vast areas of South America and the Caribbean islands. Native flocks exist in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela, as well as the islands of the Netherlands Antilles and Trinidad and Tobago. Scarlet ibis vagrants have been identified in Belize, Ecuador, Panama, Aruba, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada Jamaica and sightings have even been made in the United States. Flocks gather in wetlands and other marshy habitats, including mud flats, shoreline and rainforest.
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. For protection, flocks often congregate in large colonies of several thousand individuals. They also regularly participate in mixed flocks, gaining additional safety through numbers. Storks, spoonbills, egrets, herons and ducks are all common companions during feedings and flights.
Their distinctive long, thin bills are used to probe for food in soft mud or under plants. Popularly imagined to be eating only shrimp, a recent study found that much of their diet consists of insects, of which the majority were scarabs and ground beetles, other insect prey includes water beetles and water bugs. They do, however, eat much shrimp and other similar fare like small crabs, molluscs and other crustaceans such as crayfish. The large quantity of shrimp and other red shellfish produces a surfeit of astaxanthin, a carotenoid which is the key component of the birds' red pigmentation. Frogs, small snakes, small fish, fruits and seeds are also occasional prey items for scarlet ibises. When kept in zoos, the birds' diet often contains beetroot and carrot supplement to maintain colour vibrancy in their plumage.
Mating pairs build nests in a simple style, typically 'loose platforms of sticks'. They roost in leaf canopies, mostly preferring the convenient shelter of young waterside mangrove trees. Scarlet ibises like wet, muddy areas such as swamps, but for safety they build their nests in trees well above the water. If they can, they nest on islands, where their eggs and chicks are less likely to be in danger from predators. After a gestation period of 5 to 6 days, the female lays a clutch of 3 to 5 smooth, matte eggs which typically incubate for 19 to 23 days. After a successful courtship, pairs remain faithful and cohabitant, sharing parental responsibilities for the young. The life span of the scarlet ibis is approximately 16 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity.
The species has protected status throughout the world, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the scarlet ibis as a species of 'Least Concern' on the IUCN Red List.
Scarlet ibis
This bird lives at Banham Zoo in Norfolk.
The Scarlet ibis is a medium-sized wader that inhabits tropical South America and part of the Caribbean. It is one of the two national birds of Trinidad and Tobago, the other being the cocrico, and both are featured on the country's coat of arms.
Adults are 22 to 25 in. (55 to 63 cm) long, with males slightly larger than females, typically weigh is about 3.1 lb. (1.4 kg). The wingspan of an adult is around 21 in. (54 cm).
Adult plumage is virtually all scarlet. The feathers may show various tints and shades, but only the tips of their wings deviate from their namesake colour. A small but reliable marking, these wingtips are a rich inky black, or occasionally dark blue, and are found only on the longest primary feathers. The bird has a long, narrow, decurved red bill and red feet however the bill is sometimes blackish, especially toward the end. Their legs and neck are long and extended in flight.
A juvenile scarlet ibis is a mix of grey, brown, and white. As it grows, a heavy diet of red crustaceans produces the scarlet coloration. The colour change begins with the juvenile's second moult, around the time it begins to fly. The change starts on the back and spreads gradually across the body while increasing in intensity over a period of about two years. The scarlet ibis is the only shorebird with red coloration in the world
Though it spends most of its time on foot or wading through water, the bird is a very strong flyer. They are highly migratory and easily capable of long-distance flight. They move as flocks in a classic 'V' formation.
The range of the scarlet ibis is very large, and colonies are found throughout vast areas of South America and the Caribbean islands. Native flocks exist in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela, as well as the islands of the Netherlands Antilles and Trinidad and Tobago. Scarlet ibis vagrants have been identified in Belize, Ecuador, Panama, Aruba, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada Jamaica and sightings have even been made in the United States. Flocks gather in wetlands and other marshy habitats, including mud flats, shoreline and rainforest.
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. For protection, flocks often congregate in large colonies of several thousand individuals. They also regularly participate in mixed flocks, gaining additional safety through numbers. Storks, spoonbills, egrets, herons and ducks are all common companions during feedings and flights.
Their distinctive long, thin bills are used to probe for food in soft mud or under plants. Popularly imagined to be eating only shrimp, a recent study found that much of their diet consists of insects, of which the majority were scarabs and ground beetles, other insect prey includes water beetles and water bugs. They do, however, eat much shrimp and other similar fare like small crabs, molluscs and other crustaceans such as crayfish. The large quantity of shrimp and other red shellfish produces a surfeit of astaxanthin, a carotenoid which is the key component of the birds' red pigmentation. Frogs, small snakes, small fish, fruits and seeds are also occasional prey items for scarlet ibises. When kept in zoos, the birds' diet often contains beetroot and carrot supplement to maintain colour vibrancy in their plumage.
Mating pairs build nests in a simple style, typically 'loose platforms of sticks'. They roost in leaf canopies, mostly preferring the convenient shelter of young waterside mangrove trees. Scarlet ibises like wet, muddy areas such as swamps, but for safety they build their nests in trees well above the water. If they can, they nest on islands, where their eggs and chicks are less likely to be in danger from predators. After a gestation period of 5 to 6 days, the female lays a clutch of 3 to 5 smooth, matte eggs which typically incubate for 19 to 23 days. After a successful courtship, pairs remain faithful and cohabitant, sharing parental responsibilities for the young. The life span of the scarlet ibis is approximately 16 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity.
The species has protected status throughout the world, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the scarlet ibis as a species of 'Least Concern' on the IUCN Red List.