The Story
This Green Ibis (Mesembrinibis cayennensis) was at Reserva Natural La Palmita in Trinidad, Casanare, Colombia when I photographed it. The Green Ibis is a resident breeder from Honduras south to northern Argentina. It lives in forested wetlands, especially swamps and the edges of rivers and lakes, up to about 500 meters. Its call is a hollow, hooting, accelerating series, most often heard at dawn and dusk. It is less gregarious than other ibises and is usually seen alone or in pairs. La Palmita is a civil-society nature reserve in Trinidad that protects about 400 hectares of flooded savanna and 250 hectares of forest. IUCN lists the Green 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 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100. La Palmita’s research center also monitors the savanna’s birds and mammals and rehabilitates and releases wildlife rescued from illegal trafficking.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Green Ibis (Mesembrinibis cayennensis) 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 2021), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List