Scarlet Ibis

• fisiologíaIts deep red likewise comes from pigments in its diet, and the young hatch greyish, turning red gradually with age.
• Its red comes from crabs: the carotenoids of the crustaceans it eats build up in the feathers, and the chicks are born grey and redden over two years until they reach the adult scarlet.
• It is the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago and appears on the coat of arms of Venezuela: the roosts of the Caroni reserve, in Trinidad, draw thousands of birds every evening as they come in to the mangroves and turn the trees red.
• It hybridises with the white ibis where the two species overlap, producing birds of an intermediate pink.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Mangroves, brackish marshes, floodplains and estuaries of northern South America

Sexual maturity

2 years

Gestation / incubation

23 days

Litter / clutch size

2

Sources consulted: Wikipedia (es): Eudocimus ruber

The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.