Roseate Spoonbill
Platalea ajaja
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<birdfyi-bird slug="roseate-spoonbill"></birdfyi-bird>About
The roseate spoonbill is the only spoonbill species in the Americas and one of the most striking wading birds in the Western Hemisphere. Like flamingos, their pink color comes from carotenoid pigments in their crustacean prey. Nearly hunted to extinction for their plumes in the 19th century, they have recovered substantially.
Physical Description
| Measurement | Value | Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Body Length | 81.0 cm | 31.9 in |
| Wingspan | 127.0 cm | 50.0 in |
| Weight | 1500.0 g | 52.91 oz |
Identification
Plumage
Vivid pink body plumage with darker carmine on the wings. Bare greenish-grey head. White neck and back. Intensity of pink depends on diet.
Bill
Long, flat, spatulate greyish bill used for sweeping through shallow water
Habitat & Range
Shallow coastal lagoons, estuaries, mangroves, and freshwater marshes. Nests in colonies in trees and shrubs.
Geographic Range
Southeastern United States, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America to Argentina.
Diet & Feeding
Small fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects, and plant material filtered from shallow water by sweeping the spoon-shaped bill side to side.
Conservation Status
Behavior & Breeding
Nesting
Nest type: PL. Incubation: 22 days. Fledging: 42 days.
Clutch Size
1-7
Sound
Song
Low, grunting and guttural croaking sounds at nesting colonies. Generally quiet. Alarm calls are softer croaks. Vocalizations lack melodic quality; purely functional colony sounds.
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Pelecaniformes (Pelicans & Herons) |
| Family | Threskiornithidae (Ibises & Spoonbills) |
| Genus | Platalea |
| Species | Platalea ajaja |
Names in Other Languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| German | Rosalöffler |
| Spanish | Espátula Rosada |
Distribution
Roseate Spoonbill has been recorded in 4 countries.
{# Distribution Map — simplified SVG world map with highlighted countries. Expects `country_codes` variable: list of ISO alpha-2 codes (e.g. ["US", "CA", "MX"]). Uses Alpine.js to toggle classes on country paths. #}countries highlighted
External Databases
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Roseate Spoonbill eat?
Where does the Roseate Spoonbill live?
Is the Roseate Spoonbill endangered?
How does the Roseate Spoonbill nest?
What does the Roseate Spoonbill sound like?
How big is the Roseate Spoonbill?
What order and family does the Roseate Spoonbill belong to?
Similar Birds
Other species in the Threskiornithidae family