Hot and humid weather makes this Ibis pant in the hot sun of Nal Sarovar in Gujarat. A Pond Heron stalks its prey of insects in the grass. A Stint hiccups its way around the wetland, while wagging its tail. Painted Storks do their thing. A Black-winged Stilt and a Brahminy Duck sit around at the waters' edge, in the summer heat.
Now is that a Black or a Glossy Ibis, folks?
Glossy Ibis: The glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae. This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean regions of the Americas. It is thought to have originated in the Old World and spread naturally from Africa to northern South America in the 19th century, from where it spread to North America. This species is migratory; most European birds winter in Africa, and in North America birds from north of the Carolinas winter farther south. Birds from other populations may disperse widely outside the breeding season. While generally declining in Europe, it has recently established a breeding colony in southern Spain, and there appears to be a growing trend for the Spanish birds to winter in Britain and Ireland, with at least 22 sightings in 2010. In 2014, a pair attempted to breed in Lincolnshire, the first such attempt in Britain.
Black ibis: The Indian Black ibis (Pseudibis papillosa Temminck) is one of the 23 ibis species of the world, and one of 33 avian species belonging to the family Threskiornithidae. It is a medium sized bird of about 68 cm length with a wing span of about 38 cm having a 16 to 19cm long tail. The adult bird has a triangular patch of red warts on the head and extending about 13 to 17 cm long down curved bill. It has an inner lesser wing covert with a white shoulder patch that is visible while the bird is in flight. The neck, mantle, lower back, rump and lower plumage are all brown. The scapulars and back feathers are bron
