Ibis

 

 The ibises are a group of wading birds that have long down-curved beaks. They use their unique beaks to probe mud along the shoreline and shallows of wetlands looking for prey, usually crustaceans. Ibises often feed and nest mixed in with other wading birds such as herons and egrets.

The ibis have been around for a long time. There are references to the ibis going back to Greek and Roman times. There are 28 different species of ibis, around the world, that are divided into 12 different genus. Here in North America we have 3 native species, the American white ibis (top photo), the white-faced ibis (above), and the glossy ibis, which looks similar to the white-faced with out white on the face.White and glossy ibis are mainly found along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast. The white-faced breeds on inland waterways in the west central United States and winters in Mexico, Central and South America. I photographed the white ibis in south Texas and the white-faced in Montana.