Roseate Spoonbill vs Wilson's Bird-of-paradise
Platalea ajaja compared with Cicinnurus respublica
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Roseate Spoonbill | Wilson's Bird-of-paradise |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Platalea ajaja | Cicinnurus respublica |
| Order | Pelecaniformes | Passeriformes |
| Family | Threskiornithidae | Paradisaeidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Near Threatened |
| Length | 81.0 cm (31.9 in) | 16.0 cm (6.3 in) |
| Wingspan | 127.0 cm (50.0 in) | 19.0 cm (7.5 in) |
| Weight | 1500.0 g (52.91 oz) | 55.0 g (1.94 oz) |
| Diet | Small fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects, and plant material filtered from shallow water by sweeping the … | Fruit and insects gleaned from the forest canopy and subcanopy. Particularly favors figs. |
| Clutch Size | 1-7 | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Roseate Spoonbill only
Wilson's Bird-of-paradise only
None
Roseate Spoonbill
Shallow coastal lagoons, estuaries, mangroves, and freshwater marshes. Nests in colonies in trees and shrubs.
Wilson's Bird-of-paradise
Lowland and hill forests on the small islands of Waigeo and Batanta in the Raja Ampat archipelago, Indonesia.
Song & Call Comparison
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.
Wilson's Bird-of-paradise
Male gives a harsh, nasal 'waah' or 'eeah' from display perch. Song is poorly documented in wild. Also produces mechanical rattling wing sounds during display flights.
Geographic Range & Migration
Roseate Spoonbill
Southeastern United States, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America to Argentina.
Wilson's Bird-of-paradise
Endemic to the islands of Waigeo and Batanta off the northwestern tip of New Guinea, Indonesia.
Conservation Status
Roseate Spoonbill
Wilson's Bird-of-paradise
How to Tell Them Apart
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
Wilson's Bird-of-paradise
Males have a brilliant red back, yellow nape, turquoise blue bare crown, and green breast shield. Violet-blue curled tail wires. Females are brownish with bare blue crown.
Short, slightly curved greyish bill
About These Birds
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.
Wilson's Bird-of-paradise
Wilson's bird-of-paradise is one of the most extraordinarily colored birds on Earth. Males meticulously clear a patch of forest floor as a display court, removing every leaf and twig. The species was virtually unknown to science until the late 20th century due to its restricted island range.