Black-faced Ibis

The black-faced ibis (Theristicus melanopis) is a species of bird in the family Threskiornithidae. It is found in grassland and fields in southern and western South America. It has been included as a subspecies of the similar buff-necked ibis, but today all major authorities accept the split. The black-faced ibis also includes the Andean ibis (T. branickii) as a subspecies. Some taxonomic authorities (including the American Ornithological Society) still do so. == Taxonomy == The black-faced ibis was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it in the genus Tantalus and coined the binomial name Tantalus melanopsis. Gmelin based his description on the "black-faced ibis" that had been described and illustrated in 1785 by the English ornithologist John Lathamin his book A General Synopsis of Birds. Latham had based his account on a specimen in the Leverian Museum and on drawings in the collection of the naturalist Joseph Banks. Georg Forster mentioned seeing these birds in January 1775 on "New Year's Island" (now Isla Observatorio) near Staten Island in his account of James Cook's second yoyage to the Pacific. The black-faced ibis is…