The Story
I photographed this juvenile Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) at the Kofán Centro Ecoturístico, near Puerto Asís, Putumayo, Colombia, in February 2020. Its largest populations are in the Llanos of eastern Colombia and western Venezuela. Pairs nest in trees well above the water, on islands when they can, and share the work of raising the young. The female lays three to five eggs, which hatch after 19 to 23 days. It is a strong flier, able to travel long distances. IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
I used a Pentax K-1 with the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6 for this one, at 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400. Each January, Puerto Asís celebrates Carnival, opening with a tire regatta on the Putumayo River on January 3.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) 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 decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List