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A bright red scarlet ibis with a long curved bill standing on a log.
Photo: Rafa Esteve, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Scarlet Ibis

Eudocimus ruber

A bright red wading bird of northern South America that feeds mostly on crayfish and small crabs.

🪿 Wading Birds
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About the Scarlet Ibis

Scarlet ibises live in northern South America, from Venezuela to eastern Brazil, in swamps, mud flats and shallow bays. Adults are bright red with glossy blue-black wing tips. They eat mostly crayfish, small crabs and other water animals, plus water insects. Young birds are grayish-brown with white bellies.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Eudocimus ruber[1]
Size
55.8 to 76.2 cm (22 to 30 inches) long.[1]
Diet
Mostly crayfish, small crabs and other water invertebrates, plus water insects.[1]
Habitat
Swamps, mud flats and shallow bays.[1]
Where it lives
Northern South America, from Venezuela to eastern Brazil.[1]
Group life
Nests in colonies of 20 to 600 nests, sometimes up to 2,000.[1]
Babies
3 to 5 eggs, incubated for 19 to 23 days.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).[2]

Fun facts

  • In zoos, a scarlet ibis turns pink unless it eats a special diet with lots of shrimp.[1]
  • Young scarlet ibises are grayish-brown with white bellies.[1]
  • Scarlet ibis colonies can have up to 2,000 nests.[1]

Vocabulary

wading bird
A long-legged bird that feeds in shallow water.
colony
A large group of animals of one kind that live or nest close together.
crustacean
An animal with a hard outer shell and jointed legs, such as a crab or crayfish.
mud flat
Flat, muddy land that floods at high tide.
invertebrate
An animal without a backbone, such as a crab or insect.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. “Eudocimus ruber (scarlet ibis).” https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Eudocimus_ruber/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Eudocimus ruber (Scarlet Ibis).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22697415/93612751 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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