Glossy ibis

Plegadis falcinellus

The Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a bird found in United States, India, Spain, Australia and South Africa. Wetlands on every continent except Antarctica. It eats insects and other small invertebrates, reptiles and frogs and fish. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Plegadis falcinellus
Region	North America
Found in	United States, India, Spain, Australia and South Africa

🏡 Where the Glossy ibis lives

Wetlands on every continent except Antarctica.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs80%
🦎 Reptiles & frogs10%
🐟 Fish10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It looks dark brown from a distance but shines with bronze, green and purple up close.

Hear the Glossy ibis

Recorded by Michael John O Mahony (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1092345. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Glossy ibis

Where does the Glossy ibis live?

The Glossy ibis lives in United States, India, Spain, Australia and South Africa. Wetlands on every continent except Antarctica.

What does the Glossy ibis eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 80%), reptiles and frogs (about 10%), fish (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Glossy ibis endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from North America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.