Melissa Norman, age 11, of Denton, Texas, for her question:    

WHAT DOES THE IBIS EAT?

Ibis is the name for a group of about 30 long legged, long necked birds that belong to the same larger family as storks and herons. They elect to wade much of the time in shallow water. The birds usually eat frogs, fish and small reptiles. Sometimes they add crustaceans, insects and some vegetable matter to their diets.

The Egyptian ibis is found near the Nile River. It was the sacred bird of ancient times and is popular in sculpture and paintings. This bird is white and has black head, neck and back tail feathers.

The white ibis has a scarlet face and can be found from Baja California and South Carolina down into South America. The white faced ibis has a reddish brown body and can be found from California and Kansas south to South America.

The ibis has a long, heavy, down curving bill that is grooved above from tip to base. Most of the birds are about two feet long.

Unlike the heron, which flies with its neck crooked, the ibis flies with its neck straight and its head held forward.