18 Interesting Things You Should Know About Roseate Spoonbill

           Kingdom : Animalia
                  Class : Aves
               Family : Threskiornithidae
Scientific Name : Ajaja ajaja

               Colour : Pink, White,
                               Red, Black
          Skin Type : Feathers
              Size(H) : 60cm - 80cm 
                                 (23.6in - 31.4in)
        Wing Span : 110cm - 130cm 
                                 (43in - 51in)

               Weight : 1.2kg - 1.8kg
                                 (2.6lbs - 4lbs)
           Life Span : 10 - 15 years
Most Distinctive 
              Feature : A long spatula-
                                 shaped bill
           Fun Fact : The only Spoonbill in 
                               the western hemisphere!

1. Roseate spoonbills are large wading birds found in coastal Central and South America.
2. They are the only species of the six spoonbill species that are found in the western hemisphere.
3. They get their name from the spatula-like beak which gets broad and flat at the end.
4. Their beaks are very sensitive enabling them to detect their prey.
5. They are able to breathe when their beak is submerged in water as they have two small slits on top of their beaks.
6. They are closely related to herons, storks and egrets and sometimes mistaken to be flamingoes.
7. Distinctively, they have pink and white plumage with orange tail feathers, red eyes and legs and black feet
8. They inhabit the salt or brackish waters in the shallow wetlands from estuaries and bays, tidal ponds and mangrove swamps.
9. They are sociable birds, happily coexisting with other roseate spoonbills, herons, egrets and ibises.
10. Their flying style is long and slow and the fly with their necks outstretched.
11. They gather in large colonies in mating season to find their mate.
12. The mating pair builds their nest on a tree and the female roseate spoonbill lays around 4 eggs.
13. The eggs hatch after 3weeks, and both the parents look after the chicks till they fledge.
14. They are omnivores, feeding mainly on small fish and occasionally on shrimp, molluscs and other aquatic organisms.
15. Their natural predators are alligators, coyotes and humans.
16. Interestingly, they get their pink color from the algae that is consumed from by crustaceans that they feed on.
17. Historically, they have been extensively hunted by humans to the verge of extinction for their beautiful feathers.
18. They population is stable due to conservation, today.