Wattled Ibis vs Roseate Spoonbill
Bostrychia carunculata compared with Platalea ajaja
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Wattled Ibis | Roseate Spoonbill |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Bostrychia carunculata | Platalea ajaja |
| Order | Pelecaniformes | Pelecaniformes |
| Family | Threskiornithidae | Threskiornithidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 81.0 cm (31.9 in) |
| Wingspan | 72.8 cm (28.7 in) | 127.0 cm (50.0 in) |
| Weight | 1500.0 g (52.91 oz) | 1500.0 g (52.91 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Small fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects, and plant material filtered from shallow water by sweeping the … |
| Clutch Size | 2-3 | 1-7 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Roseate Spoonbill
Shallow coastal lagoons, estuaries, mangroves, and freshwater marshes. Nests in colonies in trees and shrubs.
Song & Call Comparison
Wattled Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Low, grunting and guttural croaking sounds at nesting colonies. Generally quiet. Alarm calls are softer croaks. Vocalizations lack melodic quality; purely functional colony sounds.
Geographic Range & Migration
Wattled Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Southeastern United States, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America to Argentina.
Conservation Status
Wattled Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
How to Tell Them Apart
Wattled Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Vivid pink body plumage with darker carmine on the wings. Bare greenish-grey head. White neck and back. Intensity of pink depends on diet.
Long, flat, spatulate greyish bill used for sweeping through shallow water
About These Birds
Wattled Ibis
75 cm. Dark brown with metallic sheen; distinctive fleshy red wattle on throat; bare red facial skin. Endemic to Ethiopian highlands above 2,000 m. Feeds on invertebrates and plant matter in highland marshes and grassy hillsides. Near Threatened; restricted range on montane wetlands.
Roseate Spoonbill
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.