Roseate Spoonbill
Platalea ajaja Linnaeus, 1758
1.5 kgWeight
The roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) is a social wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae.
Busiest months: April · Most records: United States, Costa Rica, Brazil
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: April · Most records: United States, Costa Rica, Brazil
Roseate Spoonbill has been recorded at 673 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 33 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- High Island – Smith Oaks SanctuaryUnited States14,235 records
- Merritt Island NWR – Black Point Wildlife DriveUnited States12,848 records
- Estero Llano Grande SP WBCUnited States11,752 records
More places
- South Padre Is. – Birding and Nature CenterUnited States10,495 records
- Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Ctr.United States9,998 records
- The Celery FieldsUnited States8,483 records
- South Padre Is. – WBC/Conv. Center/Laguna Madre TrailUnited States7,499 records
- J. N. Ding Darling NWR – Wildlife DriveUnited States6,949 records
- Jocelyn Nungaray NWR (Anahuac)United States6,661 records
- Orlando WetlandsUnited States6,497 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) is a social wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in both South and North America. The roseate spoonbill's pink color is diet-derived, consisting of the carotenoid pigment canthaxanthin, like the American flamingo.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Roseate Spoonbill?
The Roseate Spoonbill weighs around 1.5 kg.
Where does the Roseate Spoonbill live?
Its breeding range: North America, Middle America, South America: southern USA to northern Argentina. It is most often recorded in United States, Costa Rica and Brazil.
When is the best time to see the Roseate Spoonbill?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Roseate Spoonbill endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Roseate Spoonbill as Least Concern.
What does the Roseate Spoonbill eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Roseate Spoonbill in?
It belongs to the family Ibises, Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae), order Pelecaniformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 1.5 kg
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 349 mm
- Tail
- 94 mm
- Bill
- 160 mm
- Tarsus
- 98 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America, Middle America, South America: southern USA to northern Argentina
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Pelecaniformes
- Family
- Ibises, Spoonbills Threskiornithidae
- Genus
- Platalea
Other birds in the genus Platalea
Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
Black-faced SpoonbillPlatalea minor
African SpoonbillPlatalea alba
Royal SpoonbillPlatalea regia
Yellow-billed SpoonbillPlatalea flavipes
African Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicus
Malagasy Sacred IbisThreskiornis bernieri
Black-headed IbisThreskiornis melanocephalus
Australian White IbisThreskiornis molucca
Straw-necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗
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