Glossy Ibis
Plegadis falcinellus
- Family
- Ibises and Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
Overview
The glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a water bird in the order Pelecaniformes and the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. The scientific name derives from Ancient Greek plegados and Latin, falcis, both meaning "sickle" and referring to the distinctive shape of the bill.
The historical name black curlew was used for the glossy ibis in Norfolk at least until the early 19th century, and this name also appears in Anglo-Saxon literature. Yalden and Albarella do not mention this species as occurring in medieval England.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Locally in eastern North and southern South America, Africa, Eurasia, and southern Asia to Australasia.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Countries
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belize
- Benin
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- China
- Christmas Island
- Costa Rica
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Djibouti
- Dominican Republic
- DR Congo
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- France
- French Guiana
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Mauritania
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Netherlands
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Norfolk Island
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Republic of the Congo
- Reunion
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Syria
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United States
- Uzbekistan
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Western Sahara
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Glossy ibis
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.