Nombre en español: Coquito

Nombre en ingles: Bare-faced Ibis

Nombre científico: Phimosus infuscatus

Familia: Threskiornithidae

Foto: Ferney Salgado

Canto: Evair Legal

El ibis afeitado, coquito o ibis de cara roja (Phimosus infuscatus) es una especie de ave pelecaniforme de la familia Threskiornithidae, la única del género Phimosus. Esta especie de ibis neotropical ocupa un área de distribución que va desde Colombia y Venezuela hasta el norte de Argentina y Uruguay.

Descripción

Mide entre 46 y 56 cm de longitud. Pesa en promedio 559 g. Plumaje negro con varias tonalidades verde azuloso metálico oscuro, cara desnuda roja, anaranjada o amarilla, pico curvado y rojizo y patas rojas claras.

Hábitat y comportamiento

Vive en pantanos y arbustos o árboles próximos al agua, principalmente en depósitos de agua dulce, salobre y salada. Se alimenta de lombrices, peces pequeños, crustáceos, insectos acuáticos, moluscos y otros animales pequeños, y además de granos y hojas. Utiliza su pico curvo para escarbar en la tierra húmeda y el agua, agarrando sus presas. Anida en colonias en árboles y arbustos, sobre los pantanos y a orillas de los ríos. Construye el nido de ramas en forma de plataforma pequeña, a partir de hierbas acuáticas y palos delgados, de unos 35 cm de largo. La hembra pone de uno a seis huevos color azul verdoso. La incubación dura de 21 a 23 días y es efectuada por los dos padres. Después de tres semanas de nacidos los pichones salen del nido y una semana más tarde se valen por sí mismos.

Subespecies

Se reconocen tres subespecies de:

Phimosus infuscatus berlepschi Hellmayr, 1903 Colombia, Guyana, Surinam, Venezuela
Phimosus infuscatus infuscatus (Lichtenstein, 1823) Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay
Phimosus infuscatus nudifrons (Spix, 1825) Brasil

Bare-faced ibis

The bare-faced ibis (Phimosus infuscatus), also known as the whispering ibis, is a species of bird in the family Threskiornithidae, in the monotypic genus Phimosus.

It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is swamps.

Description

The Bare-faced ibis is either dark drown or a blackish color. It is called the bare-faced ibis because it does not have any feathers on its face. It has a long Decurved bill that’s pinkish to reddish brown. The skin on its face is usually a reddish color and it also has long orangely colored beak with pink legs. The total length of the ibis ranges between 45 and 50 cm.

Food

The Bare-faced ibis forages in most soil and along the edges of standing water. The diet of the Bare-faced ibis consists of insects, worms, clams, and other small invertebrates.

Habitat

The Bare-faced ibis occurs in open areas such as wet meadows, savannas, marshes, and rice fields. The ibis is usually near sea level but was recorded in Valenzuela and Colombia. When an ibis is about to lay its eggs it builds a nest out of sticks and twigs to put them in and it will lay between 2 and 5 eggs and will then sit on them for protection purposes for up to three weeks.

Behavior

The Bare-Faced ibis are usually seen in large flocks of their own species or with other species of ibis, sometimes even found with domestic animals. They live in close range neighboring amongst other flocks of ibis, typically known for the closest living habitats that range from being 100 meters away from the nearest neighbor. They are not very territorial towards other ibis birds, and rarely found alone, but most of the time the aggression is shown from food robbery from another ibis or animal. Regarding sexual behavior, the Bare-Faced ibis is less aggressive amongst other species of ibis. The males have a larger bill than the females relative to their body sizes, and sexual selection is not as intense as it is in other species. They share nests with other species as well.

Reproduction

They usually breed in small colonies amongst their own species and the breeding usually ranges from August to December. Their nest are found in trees or shrubs, and they build platforms. They lay anywhere from 1-8 eggs, the eggs are lightly colored between green and blue and the incubation is 21–23 days and both the male and female perform it.