Photo: Paule Hjertaas
 Breeding evidence |
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Click for a larger version or to add map overlays |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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16.1 (9.42 - 23.7)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Atlas results coming soon
Note: During all years of the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas drought conditions persisted and the Atlas range maps for all waterfowl, waterbirds, and wetland-associated species should be viewed as characteristic of distribution and abundance during dry conditions. Read the full drought statement here.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The White-faced Ibis is new to prairie Canada, arriving in southern Alberta in 1974 and breeding there since 1982 (Goosen et al. 1995). Saskatchewan's first record was a single bird in breeding plumage 29 May to 1 Jun 1976, 10 km east of Stalwart (Lahrman 1976). The White-faced Ibis is now sporadically distributed over a wide range from southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and southwest Manitoba south through the western US to south-central Mexico, and also in south-central South America. North American birds winter mainly in the southern US and Mexico (ibid.).
Most White-faced Ibis records for Saskatchewan are from larger water bodies and associated marshlands, usually with extensive stands of emergent vegetation. Bulrush is preferred for nesting, though cattail and giant [common] reed-grass are also used. The birds are often seen wading in shallows and marshes searching for prey or hunting along the shore.
The White-faced Ibis is an irregular summer visitor and breeder in Saskatchewan. Since the first record in 1976 Saskatchewan records have increased steadily: 1970s (7), 1980s (10), 1990s (12), 2000-2009 (36), and 2010-2015 (45+). It has been present annually only since 2005. Most records are from Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area; Crane, Francis, Goose, and Old Wives Lakes; the Quill Lakes; Chaplin Marsh; and marshes south of Yellow Grass, with casual records north to Radisson Lake.
Original text by Philip S. Taylor. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the White-faced Ibis in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. White-faced Ibis in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=WFIB&lang=en [16 Feb 2026]
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