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5

Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) Alternate name(s): Misnomer: "Black Curlew" Size: 48-66 cm; wing span: 80-105 cm Weight: 485-970 g

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Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Glossy Ibises are medium-sized aquatic birds. During the breeding season they have glossy brown plumage on the head, neck and back, while the iridescent wing feathers produce a greenish-black sheen. In eclipse both head and neck lose their glossy appearance and become duller, with greyish streaks. Also the facial border becomes less pronounced. The irises are dark. The long, down-curved bill, the legs and feet are greyish-brown. At a distance, or depending on light conditions, Glossy Ibises can appear to look turquoise-brown, dark-brown or all-black, especially when seen with illumination from behind. Juvenile Glossy Ibises have a greyish streaked head and neck, similar to non-breeding adults.

Taxonomy, classification See Glossy Ibis at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Glossy Ibis is available HERE . Glossy Ibises are globally the most widespread species of ibis. They were originally found in (parts of) Europe, the Middle East, Arabia, Asia, Africa and Australia. Quite recently (in the 19th century) they have made the jump from western Africa to Brazil and from there started colonizing the Americas (mostly central and northern America). Within this range they have a preference for temperate to warm climate zones and they are highly migratory and dispersive. In Arabia Glossy Ibises are mostly summer visitors, but they are most numerous during the migrating seasons. They are more commonly found in western Arabia than the eastern parts of the peninsula. Glossy Ibises are usually found in various types of freshwater wetlands and grassland, including ephemeral wetlands such as flooded grassland.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Glossy Ibises were first spotted by us in Oman, foraging in a few water puddles in an otherwise dry riverbed (wadi) near Qurm in December 2009. We have also spotted Glossy Ibises in Australia. Glossy Ibises were found in Europe as well.

Photos

ADULT

NON-BREEDING

Sex unknown

Lateral view of 2 Glossy Ibises in non-breeding plumage checking out water puddles
[Qurm, December 2009]

Near-lateral/ventral view of 2 Glossy Ibises in non-breeding plumage in flight
[Qurm, December 2009]

Lateral view of 3 Glossy Ibises in non-breeding plumage in flight
[Qurm, December 2009]

Lateral/ventral view of a Glossy Ibis in non-breeding plumage in flight
[Qurm, December 2009]

Additional information

We have also taken photos of Glossy Ibises in Australia and in Europe.

Food, Diet

Ibises feed on small animals that they pull out of mud or soft soil.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

We will try to replace this poor recording with a better one as soon as possible.

glibis_20161221.mp3

(N NSW)

Warning/departure (partial recording)

© MD

More Glossy Ibis sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Fri, 2 June 2023, 18:28 +00:00