Scarlet Ibis
The scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is a brilliant red wading bird of the coastal wetlands and mangroves of northern South America and the Caribbean. It is the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago.
The scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber) is a brilliant red wading bird of the coastal wetlands and mangroves of northern South America and the Caribbean. It is the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Scarlet Ibis in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Reptilia lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Red From the Diet
Birds cannot make carotenoid pigments themselves. The ibis gets its color from the red-orange pigments in the crabs and shrimp it eats. Captive birds fed without carotenoids fade to pale pink.
Feeding by Touch
The bird sweeps its curved bill through the mud and shallow water to find crustaceans and insects by feel. Large flocks roost in mangroves at night.
Wetland Dependent
Wetland destruction and hunting have reduced local populations. See Great Blue Heron.
Scarlet Ibis at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Eudocimus ruber |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Pelecaniformes |
| Family | Threskiornithidae |
| Field Guide group | Reptilia: Aves (Birds) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Luminous scarlet-red wading bird with black wingtips and a long, slender, downward-curving bill used to probe mudflats and mangroves for crabs and shrimp. |
| IUCN Red List status | Least Concern (LC), assessed 2016 |
| Family | Threskiornithidae |
| Pigment source | Carotenoids from crustaceans |
See Also
- Great Blue Heron — another wading bird
- Shoebill — another wetland bird