Green Ibis vs Roseate Spoonbill
Mesembrinibis cayennensis compared with Platalea ajaja
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Green Ibis | Roseate Spoonbill |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Mesembrinibis cayennensis | Platalea ajaja |
| Order | Pelecaniformes | Pelecaniformes |
| Family | Threskiornithidae | Threskiornithidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 81.0 cm (31.9 in) |
| Wingspan | 59.2 cm (23.3 in) | 127.0 cm (50.0 in) |
| Weight | 758.75 g (26.76 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 | 2-4 | 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
Green 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
Green Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Southeastern United States, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America to Argentina.
Conservation Status
Green Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
How to Tell Them Apart
Green 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
Green Ibis
46–56 cm. Entirely dark glossy green with bronze sheen; red bill and legs; bare facial skin. Resident in tropical lowland forests and forest edges of South America from Panama to Bolivia and southern Brazil. Feeds on invertebrates and amphibians along forest streams. Secretive; usually solitary.
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.