Though I have very little experience with young Plegadis Ibis, my 1st impression of the bird in the distance was that it was likely an adult bird. The upperparts were extensively bright and glossy, all the way through the mantle. The gloss was paler than I remember on Glossy, but of course this is very subtle.

The gloss, in person, was even paler and brighter than any of my photos show, with the tertials taking on a warm golden-rosy color. This is how Sibley describes it, but I don't know any other way of desribing it.

Another interesting thing was that the bird sometimes showed a faint pale band (of feathers) below the eye at the base of the facial skin, suggesting the remnants of breeding plumage.