Only the wing tip deviates from the characteristic scarlet colour. These tips are black. Juveniles display a mix of greys, whites and blacks across their body. Like most wading birds they have long legs and a long neck. Their red colour is unlike any other shorebird in the world.

During the second moult the bird begins to change from the blacks and greys to red. This progresses out from the back over a period of 2 years. The red colour comes from their diet being heavily focused on red crustaceans.

The scarlet ibis obtains food by probing in the sand or under plants with its beak. They live on a diet of beetles, shrimps, insects, molluscs, small fish, crayfish and amphibians. In zoos their diet is regularly supplemented with beetroot and carrot to maintain the vibrant red colour.

The Scarlet Ibis is a resident of South America and some of the Caribbean islands. They can be found in Argentina, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela and Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago.