Yellow-billed Spoonbill (Platalea flavipes)
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Yellow-billed Spoonbill

Platalea flavipes Gould, 1838

1.7 kgWeight

The yellow-billed spoonbill (Platalea flavipes) is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae.

Busiest months: January · Most records: Australia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January · Most records: Australia

Yellow-billed Spoonbill has been recorded at 171 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Western Treatment PlantAustralia6,864 records
  2. Herdsman LakeAustralia2,155 records
  3. Bowra Wildlife SanctuaryAustralia2,084 records
More places
  1. Western Treatment Plant – T Section PondsAustralia1,256 records
  2. Western Treatment Plant – Western LagoonsAustralia1,081 records
  3. Serendip SanctuaryAustralia1,067 records
  4. Bibra LakeAustralia657 records
  5. Fivebough WetlandsAustralia579 records
  6. Alice Springs Sewage PondsAustralia547 records
  7. Lake McLarty Nature ReserveAustralia501 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Australia

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 yellow-billed spoonbill (Platalea flavipes) is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is native to Australia, and is a vagrant to New Zealand, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Yellow-billed Spoonbill?

The Yellow-billed Spoonbill weighs around 1.7 kg.

Where does the Yellow-billed Spoonbill live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: Australia (except Tasmania). It is most often recorded in Australia.

When is the best time to see the Yellow-billed Spoonbill?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Yellow-billed Spoonbill endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Yellow-billed Spoonbill as Least Concern.

What does the Yellow-billed Spoonbill eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Yellow-billed Spoonbill in?

It belongs to the family Ibises, Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae), order Pelecaniformes.

At a glance

Weight
1.7 kg
Habitat
Wetland
Diet
Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Partial migrant
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
370 mm
Tail
144 mm
Bill
198 mm
Tarsus
123 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Australasia: Australia (except Tasmania)

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Ibises, Spoonbills Threskiornithidae
Genus
Platalea

Other birds in the genus Platalea

Eurasian SpoonbillEurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodiaBlack-faced SpoonbillBlack-faced SpoonbillPlatalea minorAfrican SpoonbillAfrican SpoonbillPlatalea albaRoyal SpoonbillRoyal SpoonbillPlatalea regiaRoseate SpoonbillRoseate SpoonbillPlatalea ajajaAfrican Sacred IbisAfrican Sacred IbisThreskiornis aethiopicusMalagasy Sacred IbisMalagasy Sacred IbisThreskiornis bernieriBlack-headed IbisBlack-headed IbisThreskiornis melanocephalusAustralian White IbisAustralian White IbisThreskiornis moluccaStraw-necked IbisStraw-necked IbisThreskiornis spinicollis
Yellow-billed Spoonbill

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos. ↗

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