Black-faced ibis


The black-faced ibis is a species of bird in the family Threskiornithidae. It is found in grassland and fields in southern and western South America. It has been included as a subspecies of the similar buff-necked ibis, but today all major authorities accept the split. The black-faced ibis also includes the Andean ibis as a subspecies. Some taxonomic authorities still do so.

Description

It has a total length of approximately. The head, neck and lower chest are buffish, the crown and nape are cinnamon, the upperparts and chest-band are grey, the belly and flight feathers are black, and the wing-coverts are whitish. The bill, throat-wattle and bare skin around the eyes are blackish and the legs are red.
The similar buff-necked ibis is almost entirely restricted to warm regions, has contrasting large white wing-patches, a dark grey lower chest, and its throat-wattle is smaller than in the black-faced ibis.

Distribution and status

The black-faced ibis is mainly found in southern South America, ranging throughout most of southern and central Argentina and Chile, where it occurs from sea-level to an altitude of approximately. It also occurs very locally in coastal Peru. While it remains fairly common in Argentina and Chile, this species has now been almost entirely extirpated from the Peruvian part of its range.
Overall the species is not threatened, and consequently assigned Least Concern by the IUCN.