They also can be found along the coast of North Carolina to Florida and Texas, in the United States. Some scientists argue that the scarlet ibis of Central and South America is really just a red-colored white ibis. Adult white ibis have white feathers with black wing tips. Their bare face and bill are red. When they are ready to breed, all or part of the end of their bills turn almost black in color.
Young birds are easy to identify.
Chicks and nestlings are gray. They are brown with white bellies for the first 2 years of life. White ibis live in the wetlands of the interior and coastal marshes and swamps. They eat crabs and crayfish, and they feed in very large groups. To find their food, they probe with their long bills into the mud as they slowly walk along.