Although the White-Faced Ibis isn’t my favorite bird to see at The Sacramento NWR, it is one of the most challenging birds to photograph; that’s largely because their plumage looks quite different in different lighting. If you ask Google what color they are, it will answer, “While they appear dark at a distance, closer observation reveals a glossy, maroon color with metallic green and bronze tones on their wings.”
My first shot of the day was of a distant White-Faced Ibis, and, sure enough, with the light coming from the right, it appeared black, or, at least, a dark brown.
An hour or so later, I got this shot of another White-Faced Ibis preening itself. In this case the light was coming from directly behind me, bringing out those metallic green and bronze colors.
Here’s another shot of the same bird taken a few minutes later. From this angle those metallic green wings suddenly appear to be nearly black.
Leslie got this shot of another Ibis several hours later, when the sun was almost directly overhead. Judging purely from the color of the plumage, you might think this was an entirely different species.
Despite their name, these Ibises didn’t have a white face; that’s because they’re not yet in full breeding plumage. When they are in full breeding plumage the colors will be even more dramatic, if you can catch them in the right light, as I’ve managed to do a couple of times in earlier years.