Green Ibis

How to find it

Look at dawn and dusk along forested river edges and swamps, and listen for the call, since the bird is shy and easily spooked. Late afternoon boat trips on the Río Sarapiquí are described as a great time to find secretive birds, including Green Ibis, Sunbittern and tiger-herons. A Sarapiquí boat tour of about four hours starting at sunrise lists it among its target species, and birders on one such trip reported great views alongside Great Curassow and Bare-throated Tiger-Heron. Morning boat rides in the wetlands of the northern plains are another way tours look for it, with Sungrebe and Agami Heron. Tortuguero, reached only by boat or small plane, is also listed, and in the northern Caribbean lowlands afternoon walks on forest trails might turn it up.

How to recognise it

Look for a dark, dumpy wading bird with a curved bill and short legs.

Adults are glossy greenish-black. The legs and bill are pale green, and there are grey patches of bare skin on the face. In good light the plumage shows emerald and bronzy green sheen.

In flight it holds its neck stretched out, and its short legs do not reach past the tail. The flight is heavy, with jerky wingbeats and less graceful gliding than you might expect. That heavy flight helps you pick it out as it flies at dusk.

What it sounds like

Recording: Carrie Seltzer, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

The Green Ibis is usually seen alone or in pairs, and it is quiet and elusive. It often feeds at twilight or on overcast days, probing soft mud and leaf litter for insects, worms and small fish.

A Costa Rican natural history page describes it walking while nodding its head and pushing its bill deep into the mud. At Laguna Doña Ana in Paraíso, a pair spent over a week pulling worms from muddy ground. A camera-trap pair patrolled a forested stream and probed the water's edge with their curved bills.

Where it lives

The Green Ibis lives in forested wetlands such as swamps and the edges of rivers and lakes, up to about 500 m elevation across its range. In Costa Rica it prefers more forested swamps and sheltered river edges.

It also visits streams, pools and even muddy forest trails. In the country it is mostly a bird of the Caribbean side, and records run from the northern Caribbean lowlands to Turrialba and Tortuguero, with others on the Osa Peninsula.

When to see it

One birder saw it on four consecutive days at CATIE-Turrialba during visits between April and June. Photos from Sarapiquí date from February 2014 and 17 April 2012, but these are single sightings, not a season pattern.

Similar birds

Glossy Ibis can look similar in dim light. It is bronzy-maroon with a slimmer build and longer legs. Green Ibis is bulkier, with shorter legs and broader wings, and never shows the rufous, maroon or reddish tones of Glossy Ibis. Its heavy wingbeats in flight are another clue.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Costa Rican sources call it Coco Negro as well as Ibis Verde. The AOCR list gives the full Spanish name as Ibis Verde (Coco Negro).

Status and conservation

The AOCR lists the Green Ibis as a resident (R), and worldwide it is Least Concern, though some evidence suggests numbers are declining.

Photography tips

Dawn, dusk and overcast days are when it feeds, so use those hours. A boat along a forested river edge lets you approach quietly. At dusk, watch for the stretched neck and heavy, jerky wingbeats of a bird in flight.