A Deceptive Name: White-faced Ibis at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

The deceptiveness is temporal and seasonal. None of the White-faced Ibis individuals I saw today had a white face. The overall color of the bird is black from a distance, but up close and in sunlight, the bird is like a black opal, with a play of multiple colors from the iridescence of the feathers. The white face appears in the breeding season. The birds pick up some reddish tones as well.

We were making our first foray of the fall into the Merced National Wildlife Refuge off of Sandy Mush Road south of Merced. We weren't expecting to see a great many of the fall migrants (the Greater White-fronted Goose, the Snow Goose, the Ross's Goose) who will arrive in a few weeks, but we did see several thousand Sandhill Cranes (look for them in a post soon), and around a hundred of the White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi).

The Ibis family is found in warm environments all over the world. There are three species that are commonly found in North America, and there were one or two species in Hawaii until about 1,000 years ago when they went extinct. Only one is found in the American west, the White-faced Ibis. It is clearly related to the Glossy Ibis of the southeastern United States, as they are nearly identical in appearance. Isolation of the populations led to their differences.

I am constantly reminded of how ignorant I was of the incredible diversity of birds in our region. Before I took up birding and discovered the amazing wildlife refuges in our region, I thought the local bird species numbered in the low dozens instead of the hundreds, and that birds like the Ibises, Sandhill Cranes, and Snow Geese were seen on nature documentaries, not in my own backyard. If you live in the Merced-Modesto region, seek out the San Luis, Merced, and San Joaquin National Wildlife Refuges. You'll be shocked at the sheer numbers and diversity of the bird life in our region.

California's Only Ibis Species at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

The Merced National Wildlife Refuge never disappoints. There are always interesting birds to observe, even if the charismatic migrant cranes and geese are wandering about on other parts of the reserve. We only saw one on our recent trip, but a White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) is hard to ignore. For one, there is the ridiculous looking, but incredibly efficient beak. It's used for digging deep into the mud for crustaceans and worms.

And then there is the plumage. From a distance, it may look like some sort of dull green or brown, but in the right light, it takes on a colorful iridescence. The "white" refers to the sometimes white color right around the beak.

The White-faced Ibis ranges widely across the American West, seeking out any freshwater marshes. It is the only ibis found in the west. It closely resembles the Glossy Ibis of the southeast US and Florida, the minor differences probably the result of isolation. A year-round population also inhabits the southern part of South America.

White-faced Ibis at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

The White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) certainly has one of the more interesting beaks in the bird kingdom. Everything in evolution has (or once had) a purpose, or the adaptation would have disappeared. The thick curved beak of the ibis is an excellent tool for probing deep into the mud of shallow ponds. We saw this one on a brief tour of the Merced National Wildlife Refuge last week.

The "white face" part appears during the breeding season, which as can be seen is not right now. The Ibis is more of a tropical species, and we have one of the northernmost winter populations in the country. Most of those seen in western North America are headed to winter roosts in Mexico.

A Moment of Zen for a Crazy Evening: White-faced Ibis at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

Crazy political day, on the cusp of a new time in the country. It's tense, it's worrisome, so take a moment, take a breath, and enjoy a few pics of a beautiful bird at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge.

It's a White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi), one of the few species of ibis in the United States.

I hope you have enjoyed this moment. If you haven't voted, get on it. The polls close in a few hours!

Bird of the Day: White-faced Ibis at Merced National Wildlife Refuge

We've seen a White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) before on these pages, but today is a twofer. Our recent visit at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge was a visual treat as usual, and we saw several dozen of these beautiful birds hanging out near the auto-tour road.

The White-faced Ibis is the only species of Ibis in the California region, although a second species is rapidly spreading from the east, having expanded into Texas so far. They are beautiful, if odd-shaped birds!

Those red eyes do freak me out just a little bit, though...

Bird of the Day: The Western State's Only Native Ibis, the White-faced

We are starting to keep tabs on our local bird refuges as we approach the winter season. Today was a leisurely exploration of the Merced Unit of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, where we were looking in on the early arrivals of species on the migratory flyway. The Ross's and Snow Geese aren't showing up yet, but there were plenty of other birds out and about, including a flock of American White Pelicans, and thousands of Sandhill Cranes. It was the White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) that stole the show for me today.

The White-faced Ibis is the only Ibis found in the western United States. It closely resembles the Glossy Ibis, a species found worldwide, including Australia, Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe. The White-faced Ibis is thought to have evolved from an early incursion of the Glossy Ibis into the Americas. They were isolated in the Western United States and Central America, with a second habitat in Brazil and Bolivia. The second wave of the Glossy Ibis  occurred in the 19th century, and was initially confined to the southeastern United States. Apparently they are spreading rapidly. The territories of the two species overlap in places like Texas and Louisiana, and hybrids sometimes occur.

The individuals we saw today weren't terribly concerned about us driving by on the auto tour route (a lot of the other birds were pretty skittish). They were preening and looking for food, using their long curved beaks to probe the mud. They eat all manner of worms, salamanders, frogs, and insects.

The White-faced Ibis as a species is apparently doing okay, but was in deep trouble in the 1970s because of DDT poisoning and habitat destruction (especially the draining of wetlands; this has been particularly bad in the Great Valley). I hope to see more of them around in the future!