Glossy Ibis
Glossy Ibis has held roughly steady: down 1% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Glossy Ibis
The Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a North American member of the Ibises & Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the wetland birds.
- Size
- 21.5–35.5 in long (55–90 cm) — a large wader (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Aquatic invertebrates, small fish, frogs and plant matter.
- Range
- Recorded on 138 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 18 states, most concentrated in the Peninsular Florida.
- Family
- Threskiornithidae · Wetland birds
Notable Glossy Ibis Trends
No notable trend signals for Glossy Ibis. See the full index history below.
Glossy Ibis Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Glossy Ibis is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.12 (95% range 0.01–0.22). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±101.4%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.12 | 0.01 | 0.22 |
| 2026 | 0.12 | 0.01 | 0.22 |
| 2027 | 0.12 | 0.01 | 0.22 |
| 2028 | 0.12 | 0.01 | 0.22 |
| 2029 | 0.12 | 0.01 | 0.22 |
Where the Glossy Ibis Is Detected
BBS routes recording Glossy Ibis, sized by most recent count.
Glossy Ibis Population Trend by State
| Alabama | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Connecticut | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Delaware | +468% | 1968 | 11 |
| Florida | +327% | 1969 | 63 |
| Georgia | -97% | 1968 | 4 |
| Louisiana | insufficient data | n/a | 8 |
| Maine | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Maryland | +804% | 1968 | 13 |
| Massachusetts | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| New Hampshire | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| New Jersey | +749% | 1971 | 11 |
| New York | +64% | 1986 | 3 |
| North Carolina | -90% | 1970 | 6 |
| Rhode Island | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| South Carolina | +20% | 1973 | 3 |
| South Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Texas | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Virginia | 20× | 1979 | 4 |
Glossy Ibis Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -94% | 1968 | 20 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +102% | 1968 | 49 |
| Peninsular Florida | +283% | 1969 | 57 |
Glossy Ibis Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 1% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.