Scarlet ibis
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Scarlet ibis chicks can swim before they can fly.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Scarlet ibis
- Scientific name
- Eudocimus ruber
- Japanese name
- ショウジョウトキ
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Threskiornithidae
- Genus
- Eudocimus
It lives in South America, from Venezuela to Brazil, on coasts, riverbanks and wetlands.
Its whole body is scarlet except for black wing tips. Its Japanese name comes from the shoujou, a legendary creature whose color it resembles.
With its long, thin, down-curved bill, it probes around mangrove roots and shorelines and eats hermit crabs, crabs and other food.
How the Scarlet ibis lives
They fly in large flocks between feeding places and roosts. They build nests in trees, where both parents incubate the eggs. A newborn chick’s short, straight bill lengthens and curves as it grows.
University of Michigan Animal Diversity WebSmithsonian National Zoo多摩動物公園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: 56–61 cm
- Diet
- Crustaceans such as hermit crabs, snails, bivalves, insects, small fish, and other foods
- Range
- Venezuela to southern Brazil in South America
Where the Scarlet ibis has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ショウジョウトキ
- 简体中文
- 美洲红鹮
- 繁體中文
- 美洲紅䴉
- 한국어
- 진홍따오기
- Español
- Ibis escarlata
- Français
- Ibis rouge
- Deutsch
- Scharlachsichler
- Português (Brasil)
- Guará
- Italiano
- Ibis rosso
- العربية
- أبو منجل القرمزي
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Ibis merah
- Tiếng Việt
- Cò quăm đỏ
- Русский
- Красный ибис
- Türkçe
- Kızıl aynak
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 多摩動物公園 — ショウジョウトキChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Eudocimus ruberChecked: 2026-11-03
- Smithsonian National Zoo — Scarlet ibisChecked: 2026-11-05
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Scarlet ibis, look for this
- Look for the webbing on its feet.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
Smithsonian National ZooEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Scarlet ibis
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Threskiornithidae
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