Sharp-tailed Ibis vs Roseate Spoonbill
Cercibis oxycerca compared with Platalea ajaja
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Sharp-tailed Ibis | Roseate Spoonbill |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cercibis oxycerca | Platalea ajaja |
| Order | Pelecaniformes | Pelecaniformes |
| Family | Threskiornithidae | Threskiornithidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 81.0 cm (31.9 in) |
| Wingspan | 80.0 cm (31.5 in) | 127.0 cm (50.0 in) |
| Weight | 1819.0 g (64.16 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 | -- | 1-7 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Sharp-tailed Ibis only
Roseate Spoonbill only
Roseate Spoonbill
Shallow coastal lagoons, estuaries, mangroves, and freshwater marshes. Nests in colonies in trees and shrubs.
Song & Call Comparison
Sharp-tailed 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
Sharp-tailed Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Southeastern United States, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America to Argentina.
Conservation Status
Sharp-tailed Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
How to Tell Them Apart
Sharp-tailed 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
Sharp-tailed Ibis
71–76 cm. Dark chestnut-brown with glossy purple-green wings; long pointed tail; bare red facial skin; red legs. Resident in llanos and gallery forests of Venezuela, Colombia, Trinidad, and Guyana. Feeds on invertebrates and small vertebrates in wetlands and grasslands. Often gregarious; local nomadic movements.
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.