Roseate Spoonbill

The Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) is a sociable wading bird belonging to the Threskiornithidae family of ibis and spoonbills. It is a perennial breeder in both South and North America. This species eats in shallow fresh or coastal waters by steadily walking through the water and swinging its bill from side to side, frequently in groups. It can sift through the mud with ease thanks to its spoon-shaped bill. It consumes crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, newts, and extremely small fish that larger waders ignore.

The roseate spoonbill weighs 1.2–1.8 kg and measures 71–86 cm in length with a wingspan of 120–133 cm. Adults have a dark pink tint with a white neck, back, and breast. Adults have a deep pink color with a naked greenish head (which turns golden buff while breeding) and a white neck, back, and breast (which has a tuft of pink feathers in the center when breeding). The statement is gray. There is no obvious sexual dimorphism. Canthaxanthin, a carotenoid pigment, is what gives them their pink color, just like the American flamingo. A separate carotenoid called astaxanthin is also deposited in body and flight feathers. The hues can range from pale pink to vibrant magenta according to age, breeding status, and area. Unlike herons, spoonbills fly with their necks outstretched.