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Re: Interesting ibis at South Point 6/2/12

From:

Jim Moore

Reply-To:

Jim Moore

Date:

Tue, 5 Jun 2012 11:01:52 -0400

Looks similar to a bird I pondered over when searching
(unsuccessfully) for the WF Ibis near that location last month.  One
other field mark to note is that even breeding plumage Glossy Ibis
don't have white feathering behind the eye--only on the top or bottom.
 White feathering behind the eye indicates WF Ibis.

Jim Moore
Rockville, MD

On Tue, Jun 5, 2012 at 10:02 AM, Matt Hafner <> wrote:
> Saturday morning, Kim and I found an interesting Plegadis ibis on South Point Road, a little south of Heritage Road.  This area is very close to where people have seen White-faced Ibis recently.
>
> I believe the bird may be a hybrid between White-faced and Glossy Ibis, but opinions from several people have been mixed.  My digiscopes just don't show enough detail.  Regardless, I wanted to put this out there because this bird could definitely be confused with a White-faced Ibis.
>
> The most obvious feature was that the border to the facial skin was bright white as opposed to the typical blue of a Glossy Ibis.  Through binoculars, at a distance, this gave off a very White-faced impression.  Note that the "white face" on a White-faced Ibis is actually feathers surrounding the facial skin and eye, while the blue lines on a Glossy Ibis are facial skin borders.  Basic-plumage and 1st-year White-faced Ibis can have pink or whitish borders to the facial skin.
>
> Also the facial skin had a purplish color to it.  Pure White-faced Ibis have red or pink color to the facial skin while Glossy normally has gray or dark brown.  The eye appeared to me to have some reddish tones, but that can be difficult to see in the photographs.  Having plum-colored facial skin has been referenced as a key mark for identifying hybrid Plegadis.
>
> The tertials are quite worn, which was odd in this flock of ibis, so I'm not sure any use can be gained by looking for the golden-bronze color of White-faced Ibis.
>
> As White-faced Ibis become more regular in the East (they are now annual in Worcester County, Chincoteague, and Cape May), we should definitely be on the lookout for hybrids.  Hybrids are seen with regularity in other areas where these birds overlap, so caution should be used for any ibis that does not cleanly fit either species.  Tony Leukering mentioned to me that a possible hybrid had been seen in Cape May earlier this Spring.
>
>
> All of the photos and a short video can be found here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdhafner/
>
> But the photos are best viewed in their largest format:
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdhafner/7335574336/sizes/k/in/photostream/
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdhafner/7335564696/sizes/k/in/photostream/
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/mdhafner/7335551146/sizes/k/in/photostream/
>
> Good birding!
>
> Matt Hafner
> Forest Hill, MD
>
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