Nombre en español: Ibis Verde
Nombre en ingles: Green Ibis
Nombre científico: Mesembrinibis cayennensis
Familia: Threskiornithidae
El ibis verde (Mesembrinibis cayennensis) es una especie de avepelecaniforme de la familiaThreskiornithidae, la única del género Mesembrinibis. Es un ibis neotropical que ocupa un área de distribución que va desde Honduras hasta el norte de Argentina. No se reconocen subespecies.
Ibis de patas cortas y pico verde. Generalmente se le encuentra solo, en parejas o en grupos pequeños. Su nombre Mesembrinibis deriva de las raíces griegas mesembrinos = meridional o del sur e ibis = ibis. Su epíteto cayennensis hace referencia a Cayena capital de la Guyana Francesa
Tamaño y forma
Mide de 48 a 58 cm y pesa de 715 a 785 g. Presenta piel facial desnuda de color pizarra, patas cortas y pico decurvado de color verde jade. Su plumaje es de color verde broncíneo y presenta una cresta nucal hirsuta poco conspicua con brillo verde turquesa. Los jóvenes son mucho más opacos con la cabeza y el cuello hollínoso con poco brillo.
Especies similares
Podría confundirse con el Coquito (Phimosus infuscatus) pero éste es de menor tamaño y con el pico y patas rosa. El Ibis Pico de Hoz (Plegadis falcinellus) es menos robusto, tiene patas más largas y es de color café rojo broncíneo, no verde.
Distribución
Esta especie se encuentra en el oriente de Costa Rica, Panamá, Colombia, sur de Venezuela y Guayanas, oriente de Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia, Brasil, Paraguay y el extremo nororiental de Argentina. En Colombia se encuentra por debajo de 500 m de altura sobre el nivel del mar desde límites con Panamá hacia el oriente a través del norte del país hasta la base occidental de la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta y hacia el sur hasta el valle medio del río Magdalena. Al oriente de los Andes ha sido registrada en los departamentos de Vichada, Arauca, Meta, Casanare, Guaviare y Amazonas.
Habitat
Habita en áreas de bosques empantanados, matorrales, bosques de galería, bancos de piedra en las márgenes de ríos, pantanos y sabanas inundables. En Panamá también ha sido registrada en manglares.
Alimentación
En su dieta incluye material vegetal, lombrices e insectos como grillos, escarabajos, cigarras, pulgones y cochinillas.
Reproducción
En Colombia ha sido registrada poniendo huevos en el departamento de Antioquia en el mes de abril. En los llanos de Venezuela anida entre junio y julio justo después de la época de lluvias. Anida solitariamente y construye una plataforma suelta con palitos en un árbol alto, generalmente sobre un cuerpo de agua. El tamaño de su postura es de 2 a 4 huevos. Las crían adquieren todo el plumaje necesario para volar del día 23 al 27 después de la eclosión.
Comportamiento
Es un ave generalmente arisca que permanece sola, en parejas o en grupos pequeños de hasta 9 individuos. Camina meneando la cabeza y para alimentarse sondea con el pico suelos lodosos, de grava o aguas poco profundas. En Venezuela también ha sido observada forrajeando con las alas abiertas, lo cual al parecer es un método que le permite mejorar su visibilidad. Su vuelo se caracteriza por ser de aletazos rígidos hacia arriba. Al parecer es un ave sedentaria aunque en algunas localidades puede presentar desplazamientos periódicos.
Green ibis
The green ibis (Mesembrinibis cayennensis), also known as the Cayenne ibis, is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae. It is the only member of the genus Mesembrinibis.
This is a resident breeder from Honduras through Nicaragua, Costa Rica and western Panama, and South America to northern Argentina. It undertakes some local seasonal movements in the dry season.
Taxonomy
When he first described the green ibis in 1789, from a specimen collected in Cayenne, French Guiana, Johann Friedrich Gmelin gave it the scientific name Tantalus cayennensis, assigning it to the same genus as a number of Old World ibis species. In 1930, James Lee Peters moved it to the monotypic genus Mesembrinibis; it has no subspecies. DNA–DNA hybridization studies show that the species falls squarely into the New World ibis clade, with its closest relatives being the sharp-tailed ibis, the American white ibis and the buff-necked ibis.
The genus name Mesembrinibis is a combination of the Greek word mesēmbrinos, meaning «southern» (from mesēmbria, meaning «south») and ibis. The specific epithet cayennensis means «of Cayenne or French Guiana», and refers to the collection site for the type specimen.
Description
The green ibis is a medium-sized ibis, with short legs and a long, slender, decurved bill. It measures 45–60 cm (18–24 in) in length and ranges from 700 to 890 g (1.5 to 2.0 lb) in mass. The sexes, which are identical in plumage, overlap somewhat in measurements, though the largest birds are male. Breeding adults have glossy greenish-black bodies, pale green legs and bill, and grey bare facial skin patches. Juveniles are much duller, but can be distinguished from the similar glossy ibis by their bulkier shape, shorter legs and broader wings. This species, like other ibises, flies with neck outstretched. Its flight is heavy, with fewer glides and jerkier wingbeats than its relatives.
Similar species
If seen in good light, the green ibis is distinctively dark, and unlikely to be confused with any other ibis. In poor light, however, it might be confused with the glossy ibis; the latter (which is bronzy-maroon in color) has longer legs and a slimmer build.
Range and habitat
The green ibis is found from Costa Rica south to northern Argentina and Paraguay. However, there have been sightings from as far north as Honduras, and fossil records show the species formerly occurred as far north as Kansas in the United States. It is found in a variety of forested wetland habitats, particularly swamps and along the edges of rivers and lakes, at altitudes up to 500 m (1,600 ft).
Behaviour
The green ibis is largely crepuscular. Less gregarious than its relatives, it is usually seen alone or in pairs. When it does forage in mixed-species flocks, it tends to remain on the fringes, usually among other green ibises. It regularly perches in trees.
Feeding
Like other ibises, it eats fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as insects.
Breeding
Its nest is a flimsy platform of twigs built high in a tree. It has been recorded harassing sunbitterns nesting in the same tree.
Voice
It has a hollow, hooting, accelerating call, most often heard at dawn and dusk. Transcribed as kro kro or koro koro, the call is described as «mellow».
Conservation status and threats
Because of its huge range and large population, the green ibis is rated as a species of least concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature; however, its numbers do appear to be decreasing. It is at least occasionally hunted (and eaten) by residents of Central and South American countries.
The green ibis is the type host of a species of bird louse, Plegadiphalus cayennensis.
The Green Ibis is a dark-colored ibis of wetlands and swampy woods in Central and South America. It is dark glossy green overall, but may appear blackish in poor light. The only species in its genus, the Green Ibis is stockier and shorter-legged than the similar Plegadis ibises. It feeds on aquatic invertebrates by walking slowly and probing its long bill into mud, dirt, and shallow water. Birds typically occur alone or in pairs, but occasionally in small flocks. The twig nest is built high in a tree over water. The Green Ibis is resident in lowlands from Honduras south to northern Argentina, but in some parts of its range, with more seasonal rainfall, it shifts habitat, moving from forests in the wet season to open areas in the dry season.
Fuentes: Wikipedia/eBird/xeno-canto/WikiAves/Neotropical Birds
