Design

The roseate spoonbill feeds by wading slowly through the water, sweeping its long bill from side to side, capturing insects, minnows, plants, and small crustaceans.

Features

• The roseate spoonbill has a greenish unfeathered head, white neck and back, pink wings and underparts, and red legs and eyes. Feathers on its shoulders can be red during breeding.
• Its most distinctive feature is its gray spoon-shaped bill, which is very long.

Fun Facts

• The roseate spoonbill makes strange, guttural noises while it eats.
• The roseate spoonbill’s pink coloration comes from the carotenoid pigments contained in the organisms in its diet.
• It flies in diagonal formation with other spoonbills.
• In the 1800s, roseate spoonbills were nearly hunted to extinction because their beautiful pink feathers were highly prized for women’s hats and fans.