In Alabama during: Summer
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Mycteria americana (Linnaeus)
OTHER NAMES: Flinthead, Ironhead, Pond Gannet, Wood Ibis (Coulter et al. 1999).
STATUS: Possible breeder. Fairly common in late summer and early fall, but occasional to rare in spring and late fall in Inland Coastal Plain region. Occasional in spring, summer, and fall in other regions. Listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. HIGH CONSERVATION CONCERN.
DESCRIPTION: The largest (86-115 cm [34-45 in.]) wading bird breeding in the United States (Coulter et al. 1999). Sexes similar in appearance. Head and neck of adults featherless and dark-gray to black; body feathers and most wing coverts white, and primaries, secondaries, and tail feathers black. Grayish feathers cover head and neck of subadults. Tail short and wings long and rounded. Relatively long, stout bill; slender, blunt and decurved at tip; grayish black in adults and yellowish in juveniles. Legs dark, but feet pink (breeding) to salmon (nonbreeding). Usually silent, but on breeding grounds adults will clatter and snap bills, and infrequently will produce a low rasping fizz. Nestlings emit a high-pitched call that becomes lower-pitched with age. No recognized subspecies (Coulter et al. 1999).
