Scarlet ibis

Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber)
This social bird can be found living in flocks that number up into the thirties. The flocks often include heron and other
species of ibis. When startled, the birds will utter an alarm note and take off as a group.

Scarlet Ibis - Eudocimus ruber.
The scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is a South American wading bird that belongs to the same order as herons, spoonbills, and storks.

The Scarlet ibis lives in the northern part of South America. It can be found in Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela including Guyana and French Guyana) and along the coast of Brazil to the Amazon Delta.

The scarlet ibis inhabits marshes, swamps, lakes and streams.
Niche
The scarlet ibis uses its large beak to locate prey in the water. Crayfish, crabs, insects, frogs and fish all make up parts of the bird's diet.

SCARLET IBIS.
[Scarlet Ibis.]
IBIS RUBRA, Linn.
[Eudocimus ruber.] ...

The scarlet ibis is a gregarious bird, living, traveling, and breeding in flocks. In flight, ibises form diagonal lines or v-formations. This formation decreases wind resistance for trailing birds.

Scarlet Ibis Eudocimus ruber (Linnaeus)
At least two birds were seen by many observers in summer 1981. All such North American reports are considered by authorities (American Ornithologists' Union 1983) to represent escaped birds.

The scarlet ibis—the blushing bird
White or black, brown or gray, or even a bright orange-red, the coloration of ibis feathers is related to their feeding behavior and habitat.

Scarlet Ibis
The most colorful of all ibis species, the slender-billed scarlet ibis is native to South America.

The scarlet ibis lives in large breeding colonies that can include thousands of individual birds. A social structure that favours high population density helps the birds keep watch for predators.

Especially jacana, scarlet ibis, sharp-tailed Ibis, white Ibis, buff-necked ibis, swifts
Egrets hunt from moving and stationary capybara's backs
Swifts hunt low overhead or from capybara's head ...

Cock FightsIncluded in the Vault are images of: Ibis, Bald Ibis (Geronticus calcus), Scarlet Ibis (Eudocrimus ruber), Herons, Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Blue Heron, Egrets, Great Egret (Egretta alba), Storks, ...

American Flamingo and Scarlet Ibis are really the only other birds known in North America that the Roseate Spoonbill could be mistaken for.

American White Ibis, Eudocimus albus
Scarlet Ibis, Eudocimus ruber
Genus Plegadis
Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellus
White-faced Ibis, Plegadis chihi
Puna Ibis, Plegadis ridgwayi ...

Other ibises are found around the world, including the scarlet ibis of Central America and the very rare and threatened bald ibis of North Africa and the Middle East.
Spoonbill ...

White Ibis, Eudocimus albus
Scarlet Ibis, Eudocimus ruber (A)
Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellus (A)
Roseate Spoonbill, Ajaia ajaja ...

Humans are the primary threat to these birds, not only by habitat encroachment but also from hunting. Scarlet ibises (Eudocimus ruber), for example, are hunted for their vivid red plumage despite the fact that they are the national bird of Trinidad.

The scarlet ibis of South America, E. ruber, is occasionally seen in the S United States. Ibises are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Ciconiiformes, family Threskiornithidae.

See also: Ibis, Heron, Spoonbill, Flamingo, White Ibis