IBIS OR EGRET

Birds can reach the sky

Finding a level very high

Landing on a quiet place

Taking a slow pace

Foraging for food

To feed their brood

Having built their nest

It is time to rest

Giving the young care

For them to soar above the clouds

And find new spaces away from crowds

    Once in a while when I am in front of my house or walking in the neighborhood I see a beautiful white bird with a long neck and a sharp pointed beak probing in the grass.  It moves slowly on its long legs and then turns its head from side to side.   Its movements are graceful and smooth and are very relaxing for me to watch.  Sometimes, it will stay very still as if it is listening to something and then moves on as if searching.  I am fascinated by it and yet puzzled to identify it as an egret or an ibis.  Not being an ornithologist (expert on the study of birds) I decided to research the identity of these two birds.

    Herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds with some 64 recognized species. Some are called egrets or bitterns.  Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from the herons; and, they tend to be named differently because they are mainly white or have decorative plumes.  Although they have the same build as herons, they are smaller.  There is still no clear consensus about their genus classification.   During the 19^th and early 20^th century egrets were endangered having been hunted for their plumes by hat makers in Europe.  A visit to the Wakodahatchee Wetlands or Green Cay here in Palm Beach County allows one to see many birds some of which are egrets.

    The American ibis, often referred to as the white ibis, is among the wading birds like the egret and both are indigenous to Florida.  It is a modestly sized bird weighing about two pounds.  It has been the most abundant in the Everglades.  However, today it has become urban.  The University of Miami adopted the American white ibis as its official athletics mascot in 1926 and the yearbook was named as the Ibis that year.   There appear to be such a variety of ibises and egrets that it is difficult to say which is larger. You will need to determine which species of each to compare their size.  Both birds are monogamous, care for their offspring, are nomadic, forage for food and for the most part have adapted to our backyards.  If you happen to see one and can identify it as an ibis or an egret please let me know.

  

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