Shallow coastal lagoons, estuaries, mangroves, and freshwater marshes. Nests in colonies in trees and shrubs.
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Song & Call Comparison
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Song & Call Comparison
Roseate Spoonbill
鸣唱
Low, grunting and guttural croaking sounds at nesting colonies. Generally quiet. Alarm calls are softer croaks. Vocalizations lack melodic quality; purely functional colony sounds.
Malagasy Sacred Ibis
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Geographic Range & Migration
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Geographic Range & Migration
Roseate Spoonbill
Southeastern United States, Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America to Argentina.
Malagasy Sacred Ibis
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Conservation Status Comparison
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保护状况
Least Concern
Roseate Spoonbill
Endangered
Malagasy Sacred Ibis
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Identification Tips — How to Tell Them Apart
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How to Tell Them Apart
Roseate Spoonbill
羽毛
Vivid pink body plumage with darker carmine on the wings. Bare greenish-grey head. White neck and back. Intensity of pink depends on diet.
喙
Long, flat, spatulate greyish bill used for sweeping through shallow water
Malagasy Sacred Ibis
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About Each Bird (Descriptions)
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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.
65–89 cm. White with naked black head; black wingtips. Endemic to Madagascar and Aldabra Atoll. Vulnerable; threatened by habitat destruction and hunting. Closely related to African Sacred Ibis; feeds in coastal wetlands, mangroves, and rice paddies.
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Related Comparisons
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More Birds in Family
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