Eudocimus
Encyclopedia
Eudocimus is a genus of ibis
es, wading bird
s of the family Threskiornithidae. They occur in the warmer parts of the New World
with representatives from the southern United States
south through Central America
, the West Indies and South America
.
There are just two species in this genus,
The two species hybridise, and are sometimes considered conspecific.
These birds are found in marshy wetlands, often near coasts. They build stick nests in trees or bushes over water, and a typical clutch
is 2 to 5 eggs
. Eudocimus ibises are monogomous and colonial
, often nesting in mixed colonies with other wading species.
Adults are 56–61 cm long with a 85–95 cm wingspan. They have long curved bills
, pink legs and bare red faces. The plumage is all-white (albus) or all-scarlet (ruber), except for the black wing-tips, which are easily visible in flight. Juveniles are largely brown with white underparts and duller bare parts.
Eudocimus ibises feed by probing with their long, downcurved beaks. Their diet consists of fish
, frog
s, crustacean
s and insect
s. They fly with neck and legs outstretched, often in long, loose lines, especially on their way to or from the night-time roosts.
Ibis
The ibises are a group of long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae....
es, wading bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s of the family Threskiornithidae. They occur in the warmer parts of the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
with representatives from the southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
south through Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, the West Indies and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
There are just two species in this genus,
- American White IbisAmerican White IbisThe American White Ibis is a species of wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae. It occurs from the mid-Atlantic and Gulf coast of the United States south through most of the New World tropics...
, Eudocimus albus - Scarlet IbisScarlet IbisThe Scarlet Ibis is a species of ibis that inhabits tropical South America and also Trinidad and Tobago. It is the national bird of Trinidad and is featured on the Trinidad and Tobago coat of arms along with Tobago's national bird, the Rufous-vented Chachalaca.-Taxonomy:This species is very...
, Eudocimus ruber
The two species hybridise, and are sometimes considered conspecific.
These birds are found in marshy wetlands, often near coasts. They build stick nests in trees or bushes over water, and a typical clutch
Clutch (eggs)
A clutch of eggs refers to all the eggs produced by birds or reptiles, often at a single time, particularly those laid in a nest.In birds, destruction of a clutch by predators, , results in double-clutching...
is 2 to 5 eggs
Bird egg
Bird eggs are laid by females and incubated for a time that varies according to the species; a single young hatches from each egg. Average clutch sizes range from one to about 17...
. Eudocimus ibises are monogomous and colonial
Colony (biology)
In biology, a colony reference to several individual organisms of the same species living closely together, usually for mutual benefit, such as stronger defense or the ability to attack bigger prey. Some insects live only in colonies...
, often nesting in mixed colonies with other wading species.
Adults are 56–61 cm long with a 85–95 cm wingspan. They have long curved bills
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
, pink legs and bare red faces. The plumage is all-white (albus) or all-scarlet (ruber), except for the black wing-tips, which are easily visible in flight. Juveniles are largely brown with white underparts and duller bare parts.
Eudocimus ibises feed by probing with their long, downcurved beaks. Their diet consists of fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s, crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. They fly with neck and legs outstretched, often in long, loose lines, especially on their way to or from the night-time roosts.