Learn more about the scarlet ibis!
Did you know that the ibis gets its bright pink color from pigments in its food?
The scarlet ibis is hard to miss! Adults are bright red with a dark beak and some black-tipped feathers. The long legs of this wading bird are pink, and their toes are partially webbed. They use their long, curved bill to probe mudflats, shallow water and grasses in search of food. These highly social birds form large breeding colonies—often in mangrove swamps—and fly in a V-formation to their feeding grounds.