Scarlet ibis

The scarlet ibis, sometimes called red ibis, is a species of ibis in the bird family Threskiornithidae. It inhabits tropical South America and part of the Caribbean. In form, it resembles most of the other twenty-seven extant species of ibis, but its remarkably brilliant scarlet coloration makes it unmistakable. It is one of the two national birds of Trinidad and Tobago, and its Tupi–Guarani name, guará, is part of the name of several municipalities along the coast of Brazil.

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Distribution

Region

Tropical South America and Caribbean

Typical Environment

Found along the northern coast of South America from Colombia and Venezuela through the Guianas to northern Brazil, and on islands such as Trinidad and Tobago. It favors coastal mangroves, estuaries, tidal mudflats, coastal lagoons, and river deltas, but also uses inland floodplains and rice fields. Breeding colonies are typically in mangrove trees over brackish water, offering protection from predators. Outside the breeding season it ranges widely across shallow wetlands and intertidal flats in search of food.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 300 m

Climate Zone

Tropical

Characteristics

Size55–63 cm

Wing Span95–105 cm

Male Weight1.1 kg

Female Weight0.95 kg

Life Expectancy15 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 2/5

Useful to know

Its vivid scarlet color comes from carotenoid pigments in crustaceans; birds kept on low-carotenoid diets fade to paler orange. It nests colonially in mangroves and is the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago. Flocks often fly in lines or V-formations between feeding and roosting sites.

Gallery

An older juvenile with a touch of red

Taxidermy specimen

Skull of a scarlet ibis

Head of scarlet ibis

"While showering dignity and color on the scarlet ibis, nature seems to have been reluctant in the bestowal of weapons. The bird's beak was blunt, its toenails were unsharpened, and its eyes had a gentle, soft Bambi quality." – Dr. Paul A. Zahl, Coro-Coro [30]

Behaviour

Temperament

social and active

Flight Pattern

steady wingbeats with occasional glides; often flies in V or line formations

Social Behavior

Highly gregarious, forming large flocks for feeding, roosting, and nesting. Breeds colonially, often with other herons and ibises, building stick platforms in mangroves. Pairs are seasonally monogamous, and both sexes share incubation and chick-rearing duties.

Migratory Pattern

Partial migrant

Song Description

Generally quiet, vocalizing mostly at colonies and in flight. Calls are harsh grunts and nasal honks, often given in series during social interactions.

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Identification

Leg Colorpink to coral-red

Eye Colordark brown

Plumage

Uniform, sleek plumage that is intensely scarlet with contrasting black primaries; juveniles are mottled brown and white and redden with age.

Feeding Habits

Diet

Primarily small crustaceans such as crabs and shrimp, which supply carotenoids that produce its scarlet plumage. Also takes aquatic insects, mollusks, worms, and small fish. Feeds by probing soft mud and shallow water with its decurved bill, seizing prey by touch.

Preferred Environment

Shallow brackish and saline wetlands, including mangrove edges, intertidal mudflats, tidal creeks, and lagoon margins. Will also forage on flooded savannas and agricultural wetlands when available.

Population

Total Known Populationunknown

Scarlet macaw

The scarlet macaw also called the red-and-yellow macaw, red-and-blue macaw or red-breasted macaw, is a large yellow, red and blue Neotropical parrot native to humid evergreen forests of the Americas. Its range extends from southeastern Mexico to Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Honduras, and Brazil in lowlands of 500 m (1,600 ft) up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft), the Caribbean island of Trinidad, as well as the Pacific island of Coiba. Formerly, the northern extent of its range included southern Tamaulipas. In some areas, it has suffered local extinction because of habitat destruction, or capture for the parrot trade, but in other areas, it remains fairly common. It is the national bird of Honduras. Like its relative the blue-and-yellow macaw, the scarlet macaw is a popular bird in aviculture as a result of its striking plumage. It is the third most common macaw species in captivity after the blue-and-yellow and red-and-green macaw respectively. In recent years it has become much rarer in captivity and much more expensive due to stricter laws, its price being higher than even red-and-green macaws.

Scarlet minivet

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Scarlet myzomela

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Scarlet robin

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Scarlet tanager

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Scarlet-and-white tanager

The scarlet-and-white tanager is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Colombia and northern Ecuador. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest. The male is highly distinctive and has bright scarlet upperparts, darker red wings and undertail coverts, and white underparts with a scarlet median stripe running down the throat and belly. Females are patterned like the males, but are olive-brown instead of scarlet.