A bird of freshwater and estuaries wetlands, the young leave the nest at about 3 weeks. The inland feeding habitat is mainly shallow seasonal sedge marshes, shallow cypress swamps, as well as lawns, pastures and shallow ponds. Ibis forage in groups by walking slowly with heads down, probing with their long curved bills scooping up crabs, crayfish, snails, snakes and insects. We see them in our park "ground gleaning."

Juveniles are mostly brown, second spring and summer they are sandy with brown streaking on head and neck with a mostly white back. They continue to molt to all white feathers with a touch of black on the wingtips by 3 years of age. The face and legs are bare and pink or flesh colored turning to geranium red in breeding season.

(Pictures by Roger Bennett, text provided by Ruth Woodall)