The Story
I photographed this Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber) at Hato Barley in Tauramena, Casanare, Colombia. It spends most of its time on foot or wading, but it is a strong flyer and moves in V-shaped flocks. Native flocks live in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela, and on Trinidad and Tobago. Its scarlet color comes from a heavy diet of red crustaceans. Juveniles are a mix of gray, brown and white, and the color change begins around the time they start to fly. Since 1995 royalties from Tauramena’s oil fields have funded much of its development.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/2500 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200. IUCN lists the Scarlet Ibis as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2019 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