Glossy Ibis

Glossy ibises undertake dispersal movements after breeding and are very nomadic. The more northerly populations are fully migratory and travel on a broad front, for example across the Sahara Desert. Populations in temperate regions breed during the local spring, while tropical populations nest to coincide with the rainy season. Nesting is often in mixed-species colonies. When not nesting, flocks of over 100 individuals may occur on migration, and during the winter or dry seasons the species is usually found foraging in small flocks. Glossy ibises often roost communally at night in large flocks, with other species, occasionally in trees which can be some distance from wetland feeding areas.

Glossy ibises nest in freshwater or brackish wetlands with tall dense stands of emergent vegetation.

Prey includes adult and larval insects, crustaceans and occasionally fish, amphibians, lizards, small snakes and nestling birds.

The nests are usually a platform of twigs and vegetation positioned at least 1 m above water.