The White Ibis is a resident wading bird in Florida whose populations swell in winter with arrival of migrants from farther north. At one time it was a popular game bird, but it is now protected. Its populations have declined greatly as a result of losses of wetland habitats.
This 2-foot-tall bird favors eating crayfish, but is now commonly seen on mowed lawns where it feeds more on sod webworms, crickets, and other insects. It is a highly social bird -- rarely seen outside of a group. It begins life as a dull gray-brown fledgling, gradually gaining sub-adult brown-and-white plumage through its first year, then the white plumage of an adult. Adults have pale blue eyes and, through the winter they have dull pink legs, bill, and facial skin. In spring the dull pink becomes brilliant scarlet, the bill tip is black, and the skin of the throat swells to form somewhat of a pouch. Males and females are similar in appearance, but a male tends to be slightly larger and have a longer bill and the female tends to have a larger throat pouch during the breeding season.
The White Ibis is a resident wading bird in Florida whose populations swell in winter with arrival of migrants from farther north. At one time it was a popular game bird, but it is now protected. Its populations have declined greatly as a result of losses of wetland habitats.