The Halloween Bird's Parents

Yesterday, for Halloween, I posted a picture of a Juvenile White Ibis.  The White Ibis is a common resident of the Gulf Coast, but not so common in other parts of the U.S.

Mother Nature gives the juvenile White Ibis a special costume of muted brown colors for its head, neck and back, making it possibly less visible to predators from above (hawks) and from below (alligators).

The adult White Ibis lives up to its name.  These gregarious birds are fun to watch while fishing and feeding.  But they frequently can be sighted atop a tree, posing as characters straight out of Sesame Street, putting on their best imitation of an elegant hawk.  I can't help but laugh.

I’m especially fond of the photo of these two, posing for me at Brazos Bend State Park as if they were posing for wedding pictures:

Aren't they kind of pretty?