Birds · Pelecaniformes · Threskiornithidae

Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The roseate spoonbill is the only spoonbill in the New World and the only pink one. It sweeps shallow water with its half-open spatulate bill, moving it from side to side, and snaps it shut by reflex on contact with prey. Its pink colour comes from the carotenoids in the crustaceans it eats. In the early 20th century it was brought to the brink of extinction in the United States by the trade in feathers for hats.

Weight

1.2 kg – 1.8 kg

Size

71 cm – 86 cm

Lifespan

16 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

GeneralIts pink comes from the crustaceans it strains out, sweeping its bill through the water.
fisiologíaIts distinctive pink, much like a flamingo's, comes from carotenoid pigments in the crustaceans it eats.
It is pink because of what it eats: the carotenoids in the crustaceans it feeds on are laid down in the plumage, just as in flamingos, and a poorly fed bird in captivity loses the colour.
It almost vanished from the United States because of the feather trade: its pink wings were sold for fans and hats, and by the 1930s fewer than thirty pairs were left in Florida.
It fishes blind: it sweeps the murky water with its bill half open and snaps it shut within milliseconds on feeling contact, without needing to see the prey.