Wonders in the Sky

Birds, Birding

A flight of birds made my day, but what were they?

Last Tuesday I was on the hunt for roseate spoonbills. I can’t get enough of them. I took my camera with the hopes of getting a couple of close-ups. Alas, the spoonbills didn’t show.

As I walked back to my car, I noticed a flight of birds in the distance. At first, I thought they were limpkins. I managed to get a few shots in before they flew away.

When I got home, I downloaded the shots to look at the birds. No limpkins were to be found. Instead, I thought, it was a group of juvenile ibises.

Juvenile ibises are easily confused with limpkins because both are brown. The principal difference, I think, is that the ibis bill is more curved. Other than that, the two birds appear to be the same size and engage in very similar behaviors.

Upon reading this, I returned to my photograph. Maybe the birds' plumage included deep chestnut, greens, and purples, but I can’t swear to it.

My opinion is that the birds are glossy ibises. Do you agree?

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