The bare-faced ibis (''Phimosus infuscatus''), also known as the whispering ibis, is a species of
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...
in the family
Threskiornithidae, in the
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''Phimosus''.
Distribution
It is found in
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
,
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
,
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
,
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
,
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
,
Guyana
Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...
,
Paraguay
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...
,
Suriname
Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America, also considered as part of the Caribbean and the West Indies. It is a developing country with a Human Development Index, high level of human development; i ...
,
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
, and
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
.
Description
The bare-faced ibis is either dark brown or a blackish color. It is called the bare-faced ibis because it does not have any feathers on its face. It has a long decurved bill with a pinkish to reddish brown colour. The skin on its face is usually a reddish color, and it also has long orange colored beak with pink legs. The total length of the ibis ranges between 45 and 50 cm.
Food
The bare-faced ibis forages in most soil and along the edges of standing water. Its diet consists of insects, worms, clams, and other small invertebrates.
Habitat
The bare-faced ibis occurs in open areas such as
wet meadow
A wet meadow is a type of wetland with soils that are Solubility, saturated for part or all of the growing season which prevents the growth of trees and brush. Debate exists whether a wet meadow is a type of marsh or a completely separate type of ...
s, savannas, marshes, and rice fields. The ibis is usually near sea level but was recorded in Venezuela and Colombia.
Behavior
Bare-faced ibises are usually seen in large flocks of their own species or with other species of ibis, sometimes even found with domestic animals. They live in close range neighboring amongst other flocks of ibis, typically known for the closest living habitats that range from being 100 meters away from the nearest neighbor. They are not very territorial towards other ibis birds, and are rarely found alone, but most of the time their aggression is limited to food robbery from another ibis or animal. Regarding nesting behavior, it is less aggressive when compared to other species of ibis. The males have a larger bill than the females relative to their body sizes, and sexual selection is not as intense as it is in other species. They share nests with other species as well.
Reproduction
They usually breed in small colonies amongst their own species and the breeding usually ranges from August to December. Their nest are found in trees or shrubs, and they build platforms. They lay anywhere from 1–8 eggs, the eggs are lightly colored between green and blue and the incubation is 21–23 days and both the male and female perform it.
References
Threskiornithidae
Birds described in 1823
Ibises
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Pelecaniformes-stub