Description:
The white ibis is a medium sized wading bird that attains a height of 22 inches, with a wingspan of 38 inches.  The sexes are similar in appearance with entirely white body coloration, pink bill and legs, black tipped outer primary feathers, and a distinctive bare face which ranges in shades from red to pink.  A major identifying characteristic is its long decurved bill, which is somewhat longer in males than in females.  The eyes of adults are blue.

Habitat:
The white ibis is a nomadic species that quickly colonizes wetlands when food is plentiful, and readily abandons an area once resources become scarce. It utilizes both freshwater and estuarine wetlands such as mangrove and cypress swamps, bottomland hardwood, and marshes. In Florida, its preferred breeding habitat is in freshwater areas where winter and early spring water levels are low or receding.

Similar Species:
The scarlet ibis (Eudocimus ruber), a South American species that has been introduced in Florida, sometimes hybridizes with the white ibis.  Offspring of these matings are various shades of pink or red.

Range:  
The white ibis occurs from Virginia south along the Atlantic coast to the Gulf of Mexico. It is found on both coasts of Mexico, and ranges as far south as Columbia and Brazil.