The White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi) has a thin band of white feathers around its bare red face which gives the bird its name. It is a long-legged wading bird with reddish eyes and a long, slender, decurved bill. The White-faced Ibis is a western replacement for the Glossy Ibis. Similar in appearance and habits, the two species can be distinguished only by slight differences in colouring of the face and legs. Plumage is chestnut with green and purple iridescence. Males have the same colouring as females but males are generally bigger than females, and males have longer bills than females. Its breeding range extends from the western United States south through Mexico, as well as from southeastern Brazil and southeastern Bolivia south to central Argentina, and along the coast of central Chile. Its winter range extends from southern California and Louisiana south to include the rest of its breeding range. It is thought that the largest white-faced ibis nesting colony in the world can be found in the marshes around the Great Salt Lake in Utah.
