White Ibis (juveniles)

Description:

A large wading bird. Long, down-curved bill like the adult, but with crown back, dusky neck, and orange bill. Older birds can be mottled brown and white.

Habitat:

After passing through the main entrance to Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge there was a pullout and area to park. Here we could see canals, ponds and walk paths. These juvenile birds were bathing and preening in the small pond by the parking lot.

Notes:

The meandering bayous of Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge cut through ancient flood plains, creating vast expanses of coastal marsh and prairie bordering Galveston Bay in southeast Texas. The marshes and prairies are host or home to an abundance of wildlife, from migratory birds, to alligators, to bobcats, and more. Established in 1963, the 34,000-acre refuge is part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, a national network of lands and waters set aside for the benefit of wildlife and you. The management focus of the refuge (and its companion refuges, McFaddin and Texas Point) is to protect and manage the coastal marsh for migrating, wintering and breeding waterfowl, shorebirds and waterbirds, and provide strategic and crucial nesting areas for the neotropical migratory songbirds migrating across the Gulf of Mexico.