131. Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)

Glossy Ibises are distributed patchily mainly around Mediterranean coasts in Europe where they breed before wintering in Africa, but they turn up in the UK as vagrants too, in fact I think there may be one or two kicking around at the moment. The photo shows an adult in summer plumage, outside of the breeding season they are duller and less glossy with pale speckles on their heads, and the juveniles are similar but more uniformly coloured dull greenish brown. Glossy Ibises are gregarious, breeding colonially and often flying in loose lines. Their preferred habitat is marshy shallow lakes and coastal lagoons with emergent vegetation.

Glossy Ibis, ©Derek Keats, via Flickr Creative Commons.

Glossy Ibis painting.

Oh dear, this one didn't really go too well - I spent way too long on the head and struggled to get the colour of the body right - then ran out of time in the end as I also had to fit in some studying that evening. Doh!