Nest built by both sexes, male bringing most material, female doing most of building. Material often stolen from nests of other pairs. Nest is usually platform of sticks, sometimes of cordgrass or reeds.

White Ibises nest in colonies in trees and shrubs along the water's edge, changing locations nearly every year. A visit to a coastal wetland in the Southeast any time of the year will likely be dotted with large white and dark wading birds. White Ibises stand out in the crowd with their reddish pink legs and bills.

The fish crow (Corvus ossifragus) is common raider of American white ibis nests, accounting for up to 44% of egg loss in a field study at Battery Island, North Carolina. [45]

White Ibises forage in shallow pools of fresh water, especially for crayfish and small crabs. They’ll raise their young only when these pools — and the food they contain — are plentiful. So they follow a flexible nesting schedule.

As adults, these striking wading birds are all white save for their black wingtips, but watch out for young birds that are brown above and white below. White Ibises nest in colonies in trees and shrubs along the water's edge, changing locations nearly every year.

These nests of the White Ibis measure about fifteen inches in their greatest diameter, and are formed of dry twigs intermixed with fibrous roots and green branches of the trees growing on the island, which this bird easily breaks with its bill; the interior, which is flat, being finished with leaves of the cane and some other plants.

The White Ibis nests on barrier, marsh and spoil islands on the coast, on islands in lakes farther inland and in stands of trees within marshes and mangrove swamps. Nearby freshwater feeding sites are vital during the nesting season to coastal colonies, as nestlings cannot develop normally on brackish water crustaceans.

Sep 6, 2024 · Discover the white ibis: a bird with striking white plumage that forages in wetlands, controls crayfish populations, and thrives in large nesting colonies across the southeast.

White Ibis are highly social nesters, and they may gather by the thousands to nest in large colonies from April to July. White Ibis roam over large areas and colonize new areas when they find suitable nesting habitat.

Once completed, the nest is lined with fresh leaves. The nest location can be anywhere from eight to fifteen feet off the ground. Breeding, and nesting, occurs between February and October. The female lays two to four eggs that are bluish or greenish in color with brown splotches and speckles. Both parents incubate the eggs for from 21 – 23 days.