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Venezuela Scarlet Ibises, Venezuela, 1997

"Labored wingbeats lift scarlet ibises from the llanos, the vast grasslands of Venezuela’s interior. During the May-through-November wet season the flooding Orinoco [River] and its tributaries turn the llanos into an inland sea, attracting thousands of waterbirds—and a growing number of watchers. A few hatos—huge ranges that double as wildlife reserves—now accommodate birders as well as cattle, giving rise to a fledging ecotourism industry."

—From "The Orinoco," April 1998, National Geographic magazine

Photograph by Robert Caputo