The scarlet ibis, like the flamingo, gains its vibrant color from carotene derived from a diet of crustaceans. It uses its long curved bill, equipped with sensitive feelers, to probe for food in shallow waters.

A relative of the scarlet ibis, the sacred ibis, was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians as a symbol of the god Thoth, the scribe of the gods and mediator of godly disputes. Thoth was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis, and millions of ibis were mummified in his honor.