Scarlet ibis

The scarlet ibis is a medium-sized wading bird of tropical South America and part of the Caribbean. Its feathers are almost entirely bright scarlet, with only the wing tips black or dark blue, and it has a long, narrow, curved bill. It is one of the two national birds of Trinidad and Tobago.

It lives in wetlands, mangroves and coasts, from Venezuela and the Guianas to northern Brazil, and its IUCN status is least concern. The Tupi–Guarani name guara is part of the names of several towns on the Brazilian coast. Scientists still argue whether it is a separate species or a colour form of the American white ibis.

Why is it red?

Young scarlet ibises are a mix of grey, brown and white. They turn scarlet as they eat red crustaceans, because the colour comes from the food. The change starts on the back and spreads over the whole body, getting stronger over about two years. The scarlet ibis is the only red wading bird in the world. Adults are about 55 to 63 centimetres long and typically weigh around 1.4 kilograms.

One species or two?

The scarlet ibis has the same bones, beak and feather arrangement as the American white ibis. The main difference is the colour. In places where both live, such as the coast and the Llanos of Colombia and Venezuela, researchers saw mixed pairs and hybrid ibises with pale orange or white feathers. Some biologists want to call them one species, though the two colours stay distinct in the wild.

On the globe

The toy model shows a scarlet ibis in northern South American wetlands, in Venezuela, the Guianas and northern Brazil.