Guardian Nature School Team Contact Blog Project Noah Facebook Project Noah Twitter

A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife

Join Project Noah!
nature school apple icon

Project Noah Nature School visit nature school

Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja

Description:

The Roseate Spoonbill is 71–86 cm (28–34 in) long, with a 120–133 cm (47–52 in) wingspan and a body mass of 1.2–1.8 kg (2.6–4.0 lb). It's head is bare, usually greenish, but has a buffy tinge during breeding season. It has a white neck, chest and back, with pale to rosy pink wings. It swings it's long,grey, signature "spoon-shaped" bill back and forth to "feel" food in the water as it wades through marshes, swamps and ponds. When it feels the prey it snaps it's beak shut.

Habitat:

The Roseate Spoonbill can be seen in both fresh and saltwater wetlands in the Gulf Coast of the US (Florida, Louisiana, Texas), and parts of South and Central American and the Caribbean. They may be found in small flocks, but I have observed many individuals and pairs among flocks of other wading birds.

Notes:

Because it is somewhat large, and very pink, many people think they are seeing a flamingo when they spot a Roseate, though up close they are very different.

Species ID Suggestions



Sign in to suggest organism ID

11 Comments

Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander 10 years ago

Lovely!

AndreaLim
AndreaLim 11 years ago

Beautiful colors. Great spotting!

Beautiful colours

drP
drP 11 years ago

Pretty bird. I remember seeing pictures of this bird when I was a child. I've wanted to see one in the wild ever since. I guess it's time to visit Florida!

ceherzog
ceherzog 11 years ago

That must be Herb Hill..great people & bromeliad growers...glad you have enjoyed Selby...keep up the good spottings!

DonnaBollenbach
DonnaBollenbach 11 years ago

@ceherzog..Thanks for the welcome...I am thrilled to be here. I was really floored by the recognition on the Ibis considering all the great spottings posted each day. I have not lived in Valrico very long, (I used to live in Wimauma and have been to Selby Gardens many times.) but the name Wurthmann sounds familiar. I know a Herb and Joan who run Raintree Tropicals in Lithia. They have beautiful bromeliads too.

Hema  Shah
Hema Shah 11 years ago

lovely.

ceherzog
ceherzog 11 years ago

Hi Donna,

Welcome to Project Noah...you started out with a bang on your Glossy Ibis pic! I used to go to Valrico to purchase bromeliads from some people called Wurthmann...Good to have others from FL!

YukoChartraw
YukoChartraw 11 years ago

Gorgeous!

Mari du Preez
Mari du Preez 11 years ago

beautiful bird! great spot!

Jacob Gorneau
Jacob Gorneau 11 years ago

Amazing spotting, Donna!

DonnaBollenbach
Spotted by
DonnaBollenbach

Florida, USA

Spotted on Feb 19, 2013
Submitted on Feb 24, 2013

Related Spottings

Colhereiro ... Platalea leucorodia Roseate Spoonbill Platalea minor 黑臉琵鷺 Platalea minor 黑臉琵鷺

Nearby Spottings

Black-bellied whistling duck Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Red-winged Blackbird Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks
Noah Guardians
Noah Sponsors
join Project Noah Team

Join the Project Noah Team