186 A HANDBOOK OF EUROPEAN BIRDS. 
Family “1BIDZ. 
Genus PLEGADIS. 
GLOSSY IBIS. 
Plegadis falcinellus (Z7nz). 
“ Adult: Top of the head and cheeks, back, wings, tail, 
flanks, and under tail-coverts bright metallic-green and purple ; 
remainder of the plumage, upper part of the back, and a broad 
band on the wing-coverts bordering the shoulders bright /e~ 
ruginous-brown ; beak and legs olive-black ; irides dark brown ” 
(Shelley). Length 22 inches ; culmen 5°25; wing 11°5; tail 
4°7; tarsus 4. (The adult female slightly less.) 
Immature Birds: Dull brown both above and beneath, 
and lack the glossy appearance of adults ; throat patched, and 
crown and hind neck streaked with greyish-white. 
Distribution: Breeds in Southern Europe, and is distri- 
buted over most of the temperate and tropical regions of both 
hemispheres. 
Habitat: Lagoons or marshes, densely overgrown with 
reeds or bushes. Gregarious. 
Family PHCENICOPTERIDA. 
Genus PHCENICOPTERUS. 
FLAMINGO. 
Fhoenicopterus roseus Pai. 
Adult: Primaries black, rest of wings and wing-coverts 
pale scardet; rest of plumage white shaded with rose-colour; 
bill, legs and feet pale pink, black towards tip of former ; 
irides pale yellow. Length 44 to 45 inches; culmen 5'5 ; 
wing 16 to 16°5 ; tail 7; farsus 12°25. 
