White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)
Lake Jocelyn, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County CA
2 October 2012
Joseph Morlan
Photos © 2 October 2012 by Joseph Morlan. All rights reserved (Higher resolution images).
This individual was found 23 September 2012 by Eric Culbertson. I did the six hour drive to Carpinteria
arriving at noon. Fortunately the White Ibis was foraging in the drying up pond when I arrived. I spent the next
hour observing and attempting to photograph the ibis through the chain link fence along Hwy 192. Images were digiscoped
with Panasonic DMC-LX5 | Nikon FieldScope III | 30XWA | hand-held (no adapter).
Description
The following description is based on memory and on photos:
A small white wader, slightly smaller than nearby Snowy Egret. The long decurved bill was the most obvious
feature. In flight the tips to the four outermost primaries were black (image on right), but these black tips were
not normally visible when the wing was folded. The white plumage appeared to be suffused with light brown particularly
on the upper back and wing coverts.
The bill was covered with muck and appeared to be mostly dark with a yellow area in the middle. Likewise
the legs appeared dark largely covered with mud.
The facial skin was pink. The eyes seemed particularly weird. They were greenish in the center with a broad
pink orbital giving the impression of a pink membrane. The eyes seemed to bulge oddly from the small head
Discussion
This species acquires adult plumage over two years. Based on the account in BNA, I believe this individual is
in 2nd basic plumage which may account for the brown tinge to the mantle feathers. The darkness to the bill and
legs may also be signs of immaturity, rather than staining or mud. I believe this individual is different from
the adult seen and photographed at Baker, San Bernardino County, 31 August - 6 September earlier this year. This
appears to be the fifth acceptable record of White Ibis in California although a number of previous coastal records
from Southern California as well as a contentions 1971 record from Marin County have been regarded as probable
escapes from captivity.