The Sacred Ibis

Mt. Dora, Florida, USA.

In Florida I found these elegant white ibises....

But something seemed wrong.

Normally you are not able to approach wild birds at close range. But these ibises had adopted the behavior that you normally see ducks have in parks. I was stunned.

They were begging for food, witch seemed kind of a pathetic behavior for an intriguing bird like the ibis.

But still I enjoyed the sight and looked intensely at every feather while feeding them a banana.

They have long legs and an even longer curved beak. They are the birds of shallow water and marshes. They use their beaks to search for prey in the water.

They eat fish, amphibians and most of all: crayfish.

The ibises are considered a sacred and noble bird among ancient Egyptians and Indians.

But standing this close to me in big numbers didn't seem very noble and they were way too accessible. So much for the bird hunt I usually have with this kind of species.

#ibis #mtdora #floridabirds #whiteibis