wood ibis

American

noun

any of several storks of the subfamily Mycteriinae, especially Mycteria americana, of the warm parts of America, and Ibis ibis, of Africa, having chiefly white plumage and a featherless head and resembling the true ibises in having curved bills: M. Americana is endangered.

wood ibis British

noun

any of several storks having a downward-curved bill, esp Mycteria americana of America and Ibis ibis of Africa

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of wood ibis

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The wood ibis is larger than either of the other two; its general plumage is white, the tips of the wings and the tail being of a purplish-black.

From The Wanderers Adventures in the Wilds of Trinidad and Orinoco by Perat

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023