White Ibis

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An American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus); west end of Elm Lake at Brazos Bend State Park, near Houston, Texas.

The White Ibis is a medium-sized wading bird with a body shape Similar to the Great Blue Heron. They have all-white feathers except for the black wingtips (visible in flight). The pink to red face blends into a long, curved bill, which is brown at the tip. It also has long pink legs with webbed toes. The Ibis uses its long beak for feeding by probing for various fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as insects.

The preferred nesting sites for the White Ibis are barriers, marshes, spoil islands on the coast, and islands in inland lakes. Brazos Bend provides the perfect conditions; White Ibis are easily spotted around the park's lakes and swamps. Scientific classification:

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Aves
• Order: Ciconiiformes
• Family: Threskiornithidae
• Genus: Eudocimus
• Species: Eudocimus albus

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