A relative newcomer to North America, the Glossy Ibis first expanded its range along the Atlantic Coast in the early 19^th century. Today, the scarlet and iridescent green of its breeding plumage can be observed on every continent except Antarctica. Like other ibis, this lightweight, large-footed relative of the spoonbills has a sickle-shaped bill to feel for prey. The Glossy Ibis is a wetland generalist.

After a large range expansion northward from the 1930s through the 1970s, the Glossy Ibis breeds irregularly along the Atlantic Coast from southern Maine to Florida, across the Florida peninsula, and along the Gulf Coast into Texas. Breeding colonies are most concentrated in Florida and southwestern Louisiana. This ibis winters largely from the Carolinas south through Florida and just into Texas. Significant numbers also breed and winter through the Caribbean and most of Central America. The Glossy Ibis also occurs in southeastern Europe, most of Africa south of the Sahara, the Near East, Southeast Asia, and most of Australia east of the outback.

 

A legend for the range map to the right can be found here.

During the Glossy Ibis’ great range expansion, its population also grew significantly. From a few breeding pairs in Florida in the late 1920s, by 1975, an estimated 13,500 Glossy Ibis were breeding along the Atlantic Coast. Since then, surveys have recorded dramatic fluctuations in breeding colonies, even from year to year, for unknown reasons. For example, New Jersey’s Coastal Colonial Waterbird Survey noted about 3,000 Glossy Ibis in 1957, 3,799 in 1978, and 1,389 birds in 1995. Breeding and wintering surveys indicate stable or slightly increasing populations across North America, but chronic losses have prompted the listing of this dark ibis as a “species of conservation concern” in Delaware and Virginia; “imperiled” in Georgia and Louisiana; and a “species of greatest conservation need” in New York.

 

An explanation of the Annual Indices graph displayed to the right can be found here.

In North America, the recent appearance and sudden success of the Glossy Ibis has made it a low concern for conservationists, even in regions like Florida that have seen significant declines since the 1970s. Habitat loss through the draining of wetlands accounts for most losses in Florida, Massachusetts, and New York. Along the Atlantic Coast, oil spills and pollutants like DDT have had temporary but significant effects on the Glossy Ibis. The continued success of the Glossy Ibis depends on the security of coastal wetlands, including wooded and shrubby islands for nesting and roosting, and grassy marshes and shallow freshwater for foraging.

 

Federal efforts like the North American Colonial Waterbird Conservation Plan have adopted a global approach to species management. While the Glossy Ibis has experienced a wide range expansion, it has declined, sometimes perilously, in the Americas, Europe, North Africa, the Black Sea region, and the Ukraine. North America’s Glossy Ibis could become an important resource, if other populations continue to fail.

Look for the Glossy Ibis from spring to fall in grassy marshes and freshwater lagoons. Join a nature walk at refuges such as the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center in Queens, New York.

 

Attend a wildlife festival where Glossy Ibis may be seen, such as the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival (January of each year) in Titusville, Florida.

 

Go online to monitor state and federal designations of waterbirds as “endangered,” “threatened,” or “species of special concern.” Most states provide listings and management plans for birds and critical wetlands. Visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s site for one such example.

 

For other actions you can take, including Audubon activities, please visit our resources page.

Visit our resources page for more information about this species.

Davis, W. E., Jr., and J. Kricher. 2000. Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus). In The Birds of North America, No. 545 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

 

Kushlan, James A., et al. 2002. Waterbird Conservation for the Americas : The North

 

Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2005. Version 6.2.2006. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD.