Roseate Spoonbill

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Roseate Spoonbill
Conservation status
Least concern (LC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Ciconiiformes Family: Threskiornithidae Genus: Platalea Species: P. ajaja
Binomial name
Platalea ajaja (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
Ajaja ajaja

The Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja, sometimes separated in the monotypic genus Ajaja) is a wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family Threskiornithidae. It is a mainly resident breeder in South America, the Caribbean, and the Gulf coast of the USA.

Roseate Spoonbill nests in mangrove trees, laying 2-5 eggs. It does not usually share colonies with storks or herons.

A Roseate Spoonbill balancing on one leg.

This species is unmistakable. It is 80cm tall, with a 120cm wingspan. It is long-legged, long-necked and has a long, spatulate bill. Adults have a bare greenish head, white neck, breast and back, and are otherwise a deep pink. The bill is grey.

Sexes are similar, but immature birds have white feathered heads and the pink of the plumage is paler. The bill is yellowish or pinkish. Unlike herons, spoonbills fly with their necks outstretched. In 2006, a banded bird 16 years old was discovered, the oldest known individual.[1]

This species feeds in shallow fresh or coastal waters on fish, frogs and other water creatures, swinging its bill from side to side as it steadily walks through the water, often in groups.

Case Study: Roseate Spoonbills on Sanibel Island, Florida Observations by Dr. Peter L. Wallack, Ed.D.

I have spent 2500-3000 hours bird watching and photographing birds on Sanibel Island since 2001. The gorgeous wing spreading of the Roseate Spoonbill is behavior I have only seen about ae half dozen times in hundreds of Roseate observations. These behaviors were correlated with the Roseate having wet wings from friendly by passers that splashed like the American White Pelican, or when the Roseate had a primary feather that was out of place and needed straightening with a combination of preening and wings spread up snaps. To see many images of these birds in these positions, flying, foraging and wading you may want to see http:birdsofsanibel.free.fr/ - these images can be put here and used freely for educational and non-profit environmental educational efforts.

[edit] References

• BirdLife International (2004). Platalea ajaja. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
• "National Geographic" Field Guide to the Birds of North America ISBN 0-7922-6877-6

[edit] External links

• Roseate Spoonbill by John Audubon

A Roseate Spoonbill takes flight.