Fossicking Ibis

A Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus

Threskiornithidae) with its dark-brown plumage can appear blackish. In some lights the plumage takes on an iridescent green-and-purple gloss (hence its name). But unlike other species of ibis in Australia, often referred to as a "Bin Chicken", the Glossy Ibis is unlikely to be seen foraging in rubbish bins and tips, and instead prefers to probe the mud of shallow wetlands in pursuit of aquatic invertebrates.