FAMILY THRESKIORNITHIDAE 



125 



EUDOCIMUS ALBUS (Linnaeus): White Ibis; Coco Blanco 



FlGUHE 20 

 Scolopax alba Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 145. (South Carolina.) 



Differs from other ibises found in Panama by white undersurface 

 of the body. 



Description. — Length 560 to 610 mm. Adult, white; tips of outer- 

 most primaries black, with a sheen of steely blue. 



Immature, upper surface, head, neck, and upper breast streaked 

 with grayish brown. 



Fig. 20. — Head of white ibis, coco bianco, Eudocimus albus. 



Iris bluish white ; bare skin of head orange-red ; bill orange-red with 

 terminal third olive ; tarsus and toes rosy flesh-color ; claws black 

 (Dickey and van Rossem, Birds El Salvador, 1938, p. 89). 



Measurements. — Males (5 from southeastern United States) wing 

 279-285 (282.6), tail 107.1-119.8 (112.1), culmen from base 145.4- 

 163.0 (155.1), tarsus 90.3-102.5 (95.9) mm. 



Females (5 from Florida) wing 260-268 (265), tail 93.3-104.8 

 (98.6), culmen from base 118.5-130.0 (125.6), tarsus 83.8-88.0 

 (85.5) mm. 



Resident. Tolerably common locally in the coastal swamps on the 

 Pacific side: Found on Isla Coiba; and in the Archipielago de las 

 Perlas (islas San Jose, Pedro Gonzalez, Rey, Viveros, Pacheca). 



