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Adult Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
by Susan Roehl

Adult Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)

by Susan Roehl

N 1 B 2 C 0 E Mar 26, 2017 F Apr 24, 2024

G United States > Florida > Collier > Orangetree >

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Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Southwest Florida
USA

The roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) (sometimes placed in its own genus Ajaja) is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in South America mostly east of the Andes, and in coastal regions of the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, the Gulf Coast of the United States and on central Florida's Atlantic coast Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge adjoined with NASA Kennedy Space Center.

This species feeds in shallow fresh or coastal waters by swinging its bill from side to side as it steadily walks through the water, often in groups. The spoon-shaped bill allows it to sift easily through mud. It feeds on crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, newts and very small fish ignored by larger waders. In the United States, a popular place to observe roseate spoonbills is "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Roseate spoonbills must compete for food with snowy egrets, great egrets, tricolored herons and American white pelicans.

The roseate spoonbill nests in shrubs or trees, often mangroves, laying two to five eggs, which are whitish with brown markings. Immature birds have white, feathered heads, and the pink of the plumage is paler. The bill is yellowish or pinkish. – Wikipedia

Tags: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary 2017 Southwest Florida USA Roseate Spoonbill Platalea ajaja Large Wading Bird Swamp Genus Ajaja Threskiornithidae Family Gregarious Bill Sifts Easily Thru Mud Nests in Shrubs or Trees Crustaceans Small Fish Frogs Sue Roehl Lumix DMC-GH4