Spoonbill
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Roseate Spoonbill | ||||||||||||
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Platelea leucorodia
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Spoonbills are a group of large long-legged wading birds in the family threskiornithidae. Ibises are in the same family.
All have large flat spatulate bills, and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly-opened bill from side to side: the moment a small aquatic creatures touches the inside of the bill—an insect, crustacean, or tiny fish—the it is snapped shut. Most species nest in trees or reed-beds, often with ibises or herons.
The spoonbill family is one of the families in the order Ciconiiformes, which also includes other wading bird families:
Ciconiiformes
- Ardeidae herons and bitterns
- Cochlearidae: Boatbill
- Ralaenicipitidae Shoebill
- Scopidae Hammerkop
- Ciconiidae: storks
- Threskiomithidae ibises and spoonbills
- Phoenicopteridae flamingos
The six species of spoonbill in two genera are distibuted over much of the world. They are:
Common Spoonbill, Platelea leucorodia
This is the most widespread species, which occurs in the northeast of Africa and much of Europe and Asia across to Japan. Adults and juveniles are largely white with black outer wing-tips and dark bills and legs. Breeds in reed-beds, usually without other species.
Black-faced Spoonbill, Platelea minor
Found in China, Korea and Japan.
African Spoonbill, Platelea alba
Breeds in Africa and Madagascar. A large white species similar to Common Spoonbill, from which it can be distinguished by its pink face and usually paler bill. Its food is insects and other small creatures, and it nests in trees, marshes or rocks.
Royal Spoonbill Platelea regia
Most common in south-east Australia, but regularly found in smaller numbers on other parts of the continent when temporary wetlands form; in New Zealand, particularly the South Island, and sometimes as stragglers in New Guinea, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands. Its food is aquatic life, and it nests in trees, marshes or reed-beds.
Yellow-billed Spoonbill Platelea flavipes
Common in south-east Australia, not unusual on the remainder of the continent, vagrant to New Zealand, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Its food is aquatic life, and it nests in trees, marshes or reed-beds.
Roseate Spoonbill, Ajaia ajaj
Adults are largely pink. They occur in South America and Caribbean. and southern Florida. They nest in Mangrove trees and feed on aquatic life.
File:Yellow-billed-spoonbill-s.jpg
Yellow-billed Spoonbill.
Larger version
