IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE

RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES:

Glossy Ibis

REPORTER:

Cliff Weisse

4125 Beaver Springs Rd.

Island Park, ID 83429

208-558-7789

cliffandlisa@octobersetters.com

OTHER OBSERVERS:

DATE REPORT PREPARED:

6/1/2006

DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED:

5/19/2006

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION:

at 9:30 am about 1/2 mile south of Market Lake WMA north of Roberts, Jefferson County, on the west side fo the road in a flooding plowed field at B & B Dairy.

HABITAT:

Plowed field

CONDITIONS:

I had fairly low sun from directly behind me providing perfect lighting conditions. Very little or no wind present with clear skies.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?:

No, not at all

DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?:

Yes, during the observation

WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?:

Sibley Guide to Birds of North America

DESCRIPTION:

3 Plegadis Ibis with rich rufous and green irredescent plumage. They were in a flock of White-faced Ibis feeding at distances ranging from 30 yards to about 125 yards. All three individuals had gray legs with reddish knees (intertarsal joints). Bills were brownish on all three. Face pattern of dark bluish, blackish on one bird, facial skin with pale blue lines extending from the eye to the bill and continuing around the forecrown. These pale lines were clearly seen to be on the bare skin and did not extend into the feathers surronding the face. Iris was seen to be dark brown in excellent light with direct comparison to nearby White-faced Ibis on which red was easily seen in the iris.

BEHAVIOR:

Foraging actively.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU?

I saw the facial pattern on the first bird and immediately recognized it as a Glossy. The other two were located by searching for gray legs and then waiting to see the diagnostic face pattern.

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY?

The only other species that could be confused with Glossy Ibis is White-faced Ibis. Points that eliminate White-faced Ibis include:

-Iris color dark, not red as in White-faced. Immature White-faced have a dark iris but these birds were clearly adults in full breeding plumage.

-Leg color, gray with red knees consistent with Glossy but wrong for White-faced. Transitional plumages may show similar pattern (I don't know that they do but I can't say for sure that they don't) but again, these are obviously in full breeding plumage.

-Facial pattern, light blue edges on blue facial skin with entirely dark feathers surrounding facial skin and no white behind eye is diagnostic for Glossy Ibis. White color of edges around facial skin on White-faced is on the feathers, not the facial skin, and extends entirely around eye. Facial skin is red on White-faced. Some White-faced, including one immature individual present in same field as these individuals, show very thin white edge around facial skin but it still extends around eye and is in the feathers not on the facial skin. Facial skin still show some reddish coloration. This facial pattern is all wrong for any age or plumage White-faced Ibis and is entirely typical for Glossy.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES):

No previous experience with Glossy Ibis but I have seen thousands of White-faced over the years and studied details of facial pattern on hundreds during the last two years in both spring and fall. I have recently seen two Glossy Ibis at Camas NWR on 4/28 and a single individual on 5/5.

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE:

13 years

WERE PHOTO(S), VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?:

None