Susan Kirby

The glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a large wading bird with a very long bill that hangs out in marshes along the Atlantic coast (as well as in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia). Glossy ibises eat aquatic invertebrates like bugs, crustaceans, worms, and they nest on the ground.

A Very Photogenic Glossy Ibis at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

Summer 2025 was a nice time to be photographing glossy ibises. One trip to JBWR on August 16 was a banner photo op on the East Pond, because one ibis was so active and seemed to be posing just for me. These photos are from that trip. (I went two other times, with more glossy ibis photos, which I hope to post soon.)

The ibis was a sacred bird for the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. The Egyptians portrayed the ibis as the god Thoth in hieroglyphics and inlays. This inlay from the Metropolitan Museum of Art illustrates how little the ibis has changed since it was worshiped and mummified more than 2,500 years ago. The slide show that follows has the many moods and poses of the glossy ibis who posed on August 16.

Always a Thrill to Spot Glossy Ibises

While I was able to see many glossy ibises during the summer of 2023, I was able to photograph them only on June 5 at the Lido Beach Passive Nature Area. Such a thrill!

A Vernal Pond at Mount Loretto

There is a vernal pond at Mount Loretto Unique Area on Staten Island that attracts glossy ibises in the spring. I have seen them there in both 2018 and 2019.

 Glossy Ibises in New York City

The Filming the Feathers video shows glossy ibises seen June 2, 5, 19 and 20, 2018, at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and Broad Channel American Park in Queens, and at Mount Loretto Unique Area on Staten Island. The video is set to music by Charles Gounod (Petite Symphonie and Funeral March of a Marionette) and Georges Bizet (Carmen Suite No. 2), obtained from MusOpen.org, a royalty-free music source.

The first photo below was taken at Broad Channel American Park in Queens on June 2, 2018. The second and third photos were taken at Mount Loretto on Staten Island on June 5, and the remaining photos taken at Mount Loretto on June 19, 2018.