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BIRDS OF NORTH CAROLINA 



The semi-inundated prairies of Florida appear to be the great stronghold of the 

 White Ibis in the eastern United States. Here it may often be seen feeding by 

 thousands in small scattered flocks. When alarmed they spring quietly in the air 

 and depart with rapidly beating wings. In flight their appearance is striking, the 

 extended neck and long curved bill readily aiding one to distinguish them from 

 herons. For food they depend mainly on crayfish and other crustaceans. When 

 roosting or engaged in nesting the White Ibis is found in trees, often in some almost 

 inaccessible swamp. After the breeding season, some individuals wander northward 

 along the Atlantic coast. On July 26, 1898, Pearson found three immature birds 



FIG. 60. WHITE IBIS. 



feeding on the marshes of North River near Beaufort. One was secured and is 

 now preserved in the State Museum. A gunner of the region said that the birds 

 were regular summer residents and were known as "Stone Curlews," but during 

 various trips to this and other parts of the coast no additional specimens have been 

 found. 



As it is by no means improbable that the Glossy Ibis, Plegadis autumnalis (Linn.), may 

 appear in North Carolina, it may be useful to state that it can be distinguished from the 

 White Ibis by the plumage of the wings and tail being highly metallic in both old and young. 

 Its range is from the Gulf States southward, but it has been known to wander northward oc- 

 casionally as far even as Nova Scotia. It is now a very rare bird, and so far as known breeds 

 in the United States only on an island owned and protected by the National Association of 

 Audubon Societies in Alachua County, Florida. 



