A flamingo-pink wading bird with a flat spoon-shaped bill, swept side-to-side through shallow water to catch shrimp and small fish — the carotenoids in their prey are what tint their feathers.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The roseate spoonbill is a social wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in both South and North America. The roseate spoonbill's pink color is diet-derived, consisting of the carotenoid pigment canthaxanthin, like the American flamingo.
Source: Wikipedia — Roseate spoonbill Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Pink body, white neck, spatulate gray-yellow bill.
Similar species. Flamingos (much taller, longer neck). White Pelican (white, much larger).
Voice. Generally silent; soft grunts in colonies.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Aquatic invertebrates (shrimp, crustaceans), small fish — diet rich in carotenoids that produce pink color.
Behavior. Forages by sweeping spoonbill side-to-side through shallow water. Nests in mixed-species colonies in mangroves.
§ Range
Gulf Coast (especially Florida and Texas), Caribbean, and South America
§ Habitat
Coastal mangroves, mudflats, brackish lagoons, and freshwater marshes
§ Threats
Loss of mangrove and coastal marsh habitat, water-quality decline in Florida Bay, climate-driven sea-level rise.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the roseate spoonbill is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support Everglades and Gulf Coast wetland restoration. Reduce fertilizer runoff. Avoid feeding wild birds processed food.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Roseate spoonbill
- www.audubon.org — authoritative profile of Platalea ajaja
- IUCN Red List · taxon 22697574
- iNaturalist · taxon 3893
- eBird · rosspo1
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Platalea ajaja
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- USFWS
- IUCN Red List 2018
