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Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja

Least Concern (IUCN Red List)Ibises and Spoonbills
Roseate Spoonbill, photographed by Glenda Thompson

Photo: Glenda Thompson · Pexels · Pexels License (licence)

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About the Roseate Spoonbill

Unique pink wading bird with long, flat, spoon-shaped bill. Adults are mostly pink overall, with scarlet wing patches, orange tail, and bare pale-green head. Immatures are duller than adults but still washed with pale pink. Sometimes mistaken for a flamingo, but note spoonbill's distinctive bill, shorter legs, and shorter neck. Occurs in freshwater and saltwater wetlands from the Gulf Coast of the U.S. through much of South America. Feeds by sifting side-to-side through shallow water. Often in small loose groups, sometimes with other wading birds like storks and herons.

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 39 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

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