Area of zoo
Enclosure status
Open
Population in the wild
Unknown
IUCN status
Least Concern
Scientific name
Eudocimus ruber
Order
Pelecaniformes
Type
Birds
Family
Threskiornithidae
Region
Native to South America and parts of the Caribbean
Habitat
Mud flaps and estuaries
Scarlet Ibis Facts
- Scarlet ibis chicks are black when they first hatch! Their black feathers soon turn grey as they are growing, and eventually, after two years, their bright scarlet feathers will cover them completely. This bright colouring makes them the only shorebird with red feathers.
- They have long, slender bills that help them probe in the mud, looking for insects and small fish.
- They are the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago.
Scarlet ibis breeding
- In large colonies (50-5000 pairs are reported on some coasts!) these birds will generally lay between April and August.
- Breeding usually begins after a heavy rain season before the dry season begins.
- Egg incubation can take 21 to 13 days, and chicks will not fledge until 35 to 42 days old so chicks won't be seen until later months.