These birds dine with big 'spoons'!

(Photo by Lynn Hopper)

Roseate Spoonbills know how to sift the muck! This medium-sized water bird, with a football-shaped body and long legs, is commonly found in coastal Florida, Texas and the Southeast. Their long bills are flattened into a spoon at the end and protrudes from their small heads. Spoonbills feed in shallow waters, walking forward slowly while they swing their heads from side to side, sifting the muck with their wide, flat bills. They fly with their long necks outstretched and often rest with it curled into an S.

Roseate Spoonbills are pale pink birds with brighter pink shoulders and rump. They have a white neck and a partially feathered, yellowish green head from which their red eyes shine. Juveniles are paler pink and have a completely feathered head for three years until they attain adult breeding plumage. They nest in coastal marshes, mangrove keys, lagoons, mudflats, willows or on coastal islands in low scrub, including mesquite and salt cedar. Spoonbills forage, roost, and nest in groups often with other waders such as ibises, herons, and egrets.

Want to see one in action? Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI49_0aSFe