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ADULT BREEDING Has mainly maroon plumage with green sheen on wing coverts and lower back. Bill is grayish and beady red eyes and red facial skin have a white border. Legs are pinkish red.
ADULT NONBREEDING Similar, but duller.
JUVENILE Similar to adult, but duller; facial markings are absent until first spring.
White ibis similar, but all white with black wing tips
Dimensions
Length: 22-25"
Voice
Utters a huerr-huerr-huerr call
Discussion
Similar to Glossy Ibis and ranges overlap in Louisiana and Texas. Breeding adult is fairly easy to separate from Glossy: facial skin is red (not dark), surrounding white border is more striking, and legs are brighter red. In other plumages, specific identification is a challenge: White-faced has a reddish (not brown) eye, retains pinkish face (dark in Glossy), but loses white border (retained in nonbreeding Glossy). Sexes are similar.