Animal Profiles
Birds

Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja

Living

Living individuals or members of this group exist today. This does not mean they are safe from extinction.

The roseate spoonbill is a pink wading bird with an unusually flattened bill. It sweeps that bill through shallow water to locate small aquatic animals.

Platalea ajaja (roseate spoonbill)

User:Mwanner · CC BY-SA

At a glance

Habitat
Wetlands, Coast
Diet
Carnivore
Food
Small fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects.

Classification

Common name
Roseate Spoonbill
Browse group
Birds
Scientific name or taxon
Platalea ajaja
Taxon rank
species
Order
Pelecaniformes
Family
Threskiornithidae
Genus
Platalea
Source classification
Aves

Taxonomy checked against GBIF. For breeds and hybrids, this describes the listed parent taxon.

Three things to know

  • Its bill widens into a spoon-shaped tip.
  • It sweeps the bill from side to side while feeding.
  • It flies with neck and legs extended.

Habitat and range

Roseate spoonbills inhabit warm American wetlands from the southern United States through the Caribbean and Central America to South America. Mangrove swamps, marshes and mudflats provide feeding areas.

Appearance and adaptations

Pink wings and underparts contrast with paler upperbody feathers. The long bill widens into a spoon-like tip, while adults have a largely bare head.

Diet and behaviour

Small fish, crustaceans and insects are caught as the bill swings from side to side. Birds use shallow muddy water and often nest in mangroves. In flight the neck and legs extend rather than folding tightly.

Sources

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