White-faced Ibis
Plegadis chihi
This White-faced Ibis was photographed by Robert Shantz at Wilcox, Arizona.
These White-faced Ibis are seeking invertebrates flushed from the soil as alfalfa gets a flood irrigation. Arlington Valley, Maricopa Co, Arizona. 29 January 2011.
In the Sonoran Desert large numbers of these wading birds flock to agricultural fields that have just been flood-irrigated. The water forces caterpillars, crickets and other air-breathing creatures out of the soil to become easy prey. Waste water treatment ponds are another favorite habitat for this species in Arizona.