IBRC 25-B-10

IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES: Glossy Ibis
HOW MANY: 1 adult

REPORTER: Darren Clark
REPORTER EMAIL: clarkd@byui.edu
OTHER OBSERVERS:

DATE REPORT PREPARED: May 6, 2010
DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: April 19, 2010
LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: About one mile south of Hamer, ID
HABITAT: Flooded Field

CONDITIONS: I observed the bird for about ten minutes (most of the time was spent trying to get a photograph). The lighting was terrible. I was looking directly into the sun shortly after sunrise. I was using Nikon Venturer 8x32 a Nikon Fieldscope (I can't remember the model, but a newer one with an 85mm objective lens and a 20x60 zoom eye piece). I was not far from the bird, maybe 50 feet. I also photographed the bird with a Canon 7D and a canon 400mm f/5.6 lens.
DID YOU TAKE NOTES?: No, not at all
DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?: Yes, later the same day
WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?: Sibley (the big one)

DESCRIPTION: The bird was obviously a Plegadis (dark) Ibis. It was a big bird (maybe mallard sized), but with long legs, a long decurved bill, and a dark body. It had a dark (not red) eye. Its face was dark gray lined with thin blue lines that didn't go back around the eye. Its legs were not nearly as red as the White-faced Ibis in the area. I'm not really aware of this as an ID mark, but it was obvious in this bird (I'm attaching a White-faced Ibis photographed near this bird for comparison).
BEHAVIOR: The bird was actively probing mud and I watched it and/or nearby birds eating earth worms. It was sort of hanging out with 25-30 other Ibis and several dozen gulls.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU? When I saw the dark eye, the dark face with no hint of red in the face or eye, and the thin blue line that didn't go behind the eye I figured I had a Glossy Ibis.
HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY? The only similar species are White-faced Ibis and hybrid Ibis. White-faced has white feather linings around the face and eye and they have a red eye. Hybrid Ibis usually show magenta coloring in the face and a hint of a lighter eye if I'm not mistaken.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): I've seen around 4-5 Glossy Ibis in Idaho and maybe a few hundred on the gulf coast. I've seen thousands of White-faced Ibis in Idaho and Louisiana.
GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: I've been birding for 18 years. and consider myself to be a pretty good birder.

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