THE WOOD IBIS

"Hello! Peggy Ann," greeted a voice, as Peggy turned to another
picture in her bird book. "I am the wood ibis, a close relative of the
spoonbills. Of course, our way of living is different and instead of being
a very rare bird, as the spoonbill is there are many of us. We inhabit the
low wet country of the United States, but more of us live in South
Florida than anywhere else." (4: p. 454)

"You are a very large bird; aren't you?" asked Peggy Ann.

"Yes," replied the wood ibis, "we are 35 to 47 inches in length,
and when we fly we spread our wings from 62 to 66 inches. (5: p. 115)
Our body plumage is white but on our wings we have dark bronze-green
feathers glossed with purple." (5: p. 115)

"But you look so tall and solemn."

"Oh, that's because my head is wrinkled and without feathers. It
is bare to the beating sun and every wind that blows. The native
Floridians call us flint heads." (4: p. 445)

"What a large beak you have."

"The better to eat fish with," laughed the wood ibis. "And how
we do love to eat. There are some of us who have beaks nine