The Story
This Bare-faced Ibis (Phimosus infuscatus) was at La Huerta Hotel at Lago Calima, in Yotoco, Valle del Cauca, Colombia when I photographed it. The Bare-faced Ibis lives in open areas such as wet meadows, savannas, marshes and rice fields. It forages in soft soil and along the edges of standing water, eating insects, worms, clams and other small invertebrates. It is usually seen in large flocks, alone or with other species. Lago Calima is a reservoir of about 19 square kilometers, built for a hydroelectric project and later taken over by the regional environmental agency, the CVC. IUCN lists the Bare-faced Ibis as Least Concern, with a stable population.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400. Nearby, the Bosque de Yotoco forest reserve protects 1,425 hectares that supply water to Yotoco and more than ten rural aqueducts.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Bare-faced Ibis (Phimosus infuscatus) belongs to the family Threskiornithidae (Ibises and Spoonbills) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2025), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List