Nearly 80 baby white-faced ibis birds and almost 100 eggs have been rescued after being abandoned by their parents in a rice field in unincorporated Solano County, according to the
International Bird Rescue Research Center. The research center in Cordelia has taken the 78 birds and 89 eggs under their wing after a harvest Saturday forced hundreds of birds to evacuate the rice field they chose to nest in. The abandoned ibises add to the already overcrowded bird population in the center, which has things like orphaned baby ducks, egrets and herons. The center has taken on extra staff to handle the additional care required by the abandoned ibises. The eggs remain in incubators, where some have already hatched, adding to the mounting number of birds in intensive care.
The California Department of Fish and Game is investigating the case since federal laws protect all migratory birds, according to the center. Ibis birds have been seen nesting in irrigated fields more frequently as natural marsh habitats are consumed by land development. There are about three types of ibis birds in Northern California. The white-faced ibis typically lives in the western part of the country. White-faced ibises are born with stripes on their beaks, brown eyes, and dirty white and pale brown feathers. As the birds grow older, the beak stripes disappear, the eyes turn red, and the feathers become rich brown with metallic purple, bronze and green highlights. Adult white-faced ibises measure about 19 inches long and have a wingspan of 37 inches, according to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Anyone interested in adopting a bird or volunteering can visit http://www.ibrrc.org for more information.