White-faced Ibis - Plegadis chihi

The Central Valley is a great place to view wintering White-faced Ibises, although you're never quite sure where you'll run into them. They forage in agricultural lands, flooded fields, and a variety of wetlands and fresh-water marshes. The White-faced Ibis is similar to the Glossy Ibis of the Gulf Coast, but the 2 species don't often hybridize, even when on the same breeding grounds. They feed on a variety of animal prey, ranging from small insects and earthworms up through crustaceans, snails and even small fish.

While at the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge this past Wednesday, Patti and I were lucky to watch a lone White-faced Ibis foraging directly in front of the viewing platform. Dull afternoon light was not the most flattering for photos, but we got great looks of the bird probing deeply with its sensitive bill, feeling for prey items on the bottom of the pond or in the mud. The shots barely hint at the beautiful iridescent colors one might see in better light.

We watched the White-faced Ibis feeding actively for over 20 minutes. It likely found and consumed some aquatic insects during that period, and it eventually came up with what looked like a crayfish, which it promptly swallowed.

Thought it might be worth taking a video to show the active probing methods it used, similar to those of the longer-billed shorebirds. The videos were shot through the scope using my regular camera, the Nikon V1.

Longer video (15 sec.):http://youtu.be/dRuRy3ob1I0

Shorter video (6 sec.):http://youtu.be/QUhqoYHbYFI