272 



KEY AND DESCRIPTION 



2. Jabiru (189. MyctMa americ&na) . — A tropical, extremely 

 large, white stork, with immensely large recurved bill; 



head and neck bare, except- 

 ing a hairy patch on the back 

 head. The head and neck are 

 black, with a broad red collar 

 round the lower part. The 

 youiig has some brownish-gray 

 on the back and lower portion 

 of the neck. 



Length, 54 ; wing, 26 (24J-27) ; 

 tail, 9^ ; tarsus, 12 ; culmen, 9f-13. 

 Tropical America ; north casually to 

 southern Texas. 



fr^^.'>yi 



Jatiru 



FAMILY XLVII. IBISES 

 (IBIDIDiE) 



A family (30 species) of large, 

 short-legged (for the heron 

 order), shore-living birds, with 

 peculiarly long, downwardly 

 curved bills. They are found only in warm countries, and live 

 in flocks throughout the year. Their food is mainly crusta- 

 ceans, reptiles, and fish which they find on mud flats at low 

 tide, and on the shores of lakes, bays, and salt-water marshes. 

 The four species here given are all that occur in North 

 America. 



Key to the Species 



* General color white in the adult (grayish-brown in the young without 



bright reflections on the back) 1. White Ibis. 



*• Bright red or scarlet 2. Scarlet Ibis. 



* Chestnut with purplish and greenish reflections in the adult (dark-brown 



with greenish reflections on the back in the young). (A.) 

 A. Lores greenish in life ; feathers around the bill like the back in 



color 3. Glossy Ibis. 



A. Lores red ; feathers around the bill white 



4. White-faced Glossy Ibis. 



