# Glossy ibis (*Plegadis falcinellus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/glossy-ibis  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a bird in the family Threskiornithidae, order Pelecaniformes. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 626.6 g, ranging from 605 to 662.5 g in our sources, and a wingspan of 89 cm. This carnivorous aquatic predator lives in wetland habitat, has a terrestrial foraging lifestyle and is partially migratory. The IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 605 g – 662.5 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 89 cm |
| Lifespan | 17.1 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 26.8 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 21 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3.5 – 4 |
| Age at maturity | 3 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Pelecaniformes
- family: Threskiornithidae
- genus: Plegadis
- species: *Plegadis falcinellus* (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms: *Ibis falcinellus*, *Ibis falcinellus*, *Ibis peregrina*, *Plegadis autumnalis*, *Plegadis falcinellus falcinellus*, *Tantalus falcinellus*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the glossy ibis?

The glossy ibis is a bird in the family Threskiornithidae, part of the order Pelecaniformes.

### How heavy is a glossy ibis?

An adult Glossy ibis weighs 626.6 g, with values from 605 to 662.5 g reported by our sources. Its wingspan is 89 cm.

### What does the glossy ibis eat?

The glossy ibis is an aquatic predator and a carnivore.

### What habitat does the glossy ibis live in?

The glossy ibis lives in wetland habitat and has a terrestrial foraging lifestyle.

### Is the glossy ibis endangered?

No. The glossy ibis is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a glossy ibis live?

The glossy ibis has a lifespan of 17.07 years, with up to 26.8 years reported by our sources.

### How many eggs does the glossy ibis lay?

The glossy ibis lays 3.5 eggs per clutch, up to 4, with 1 clutch per year. Incubation lasts 21 days.

### Who named the glossy ibis?

The glossy ibis, Plegadis falcinellus, was named by (Linnaeus, 1766).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/glossy-ibis