Nest takeovers and nest parasitism are sometimes problems in ibis breeding colonies. A pair that is nesting, but without eggs will occasionally attack a nesting female with eggs and force her from her nest. If eggs are present, the intruding female will peck at eggs to destroy them, and then eject them from the nest. Nesting material is then rearranged and the intruding pair will begin copulation. White ibises from wild populations in Venezuela and Florida are known to hybridize with the scarlet ibis, Eudocimus ruber .
Hatching is asynchronous and occurs over several days.
The oldest chick quickly gains experience at food handling and aggressive behaviors toward its siblings, and thus grows at a faster rate than its nestmates. At hatching, the skin, legs and feet of chicks are flesh colored. Blue-gray down covers the body by the third day, with black down covering the head and neck. Feathers begin to emerge around day 5. Chicks in cr ches continue to be fed by adults.