The roseate spoonbill is a social wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in both South and North America. The roseate spoonbill's pink color is diet-derived, consisting of the carotenoid pigment canthaxanthin, like the American flamingo.
Region
Americas
Typical Environment
Found from the Gulf Coast and Florida through the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America to much of tropical South America. It frequents shallow wetlands including coastal lagoons, estuaries, mangroves, salt pans, tidal flats, and flooded freshwater marshes. Birds often use brackish impoundments and estuarine backwaters for foraging and roosting. Post-breeding dispersal can carry individuals well beyond core breeding areas.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The roseate spoonbill is a striking wader whose vivid pink coloration comes from carotenoid pigments in its crustacean-rich diet. Its distinctive spoon-shaped bill is swept side-to-side to detect prey by touch in murky shallows. It nests colonially with herons and ibises and is sensitive to disturbance at rookeries. In flight it holds its neck and legs outstretched, showing contrasting pink and white wings.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
strong flier with steady wingbeats; glides short distances with neck and legs outstretched
Social Behavior
Highly gregarious, foraging and roosting in groups and nesting in dense colonies, often with other wading birds. Nests are platform-like structures of sticks placed in mangroves or shrubs over water. Pairs are seasonally monogamous and both sexes share incubation and chick rearing.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Generally quiet; vocalizations are harsh grunts and low croaks, especially at colonies. Adults may emit bill clacks and guttural calls during pair interactions and alarm situations.
Plumage
Largely pink body with paler shoulders and white upper back and neck; deeper carmine highlights on the wing coverts; flight feathers darker. Adults have a bare, greenish head with a scaly look and a long, spatulate bill.
Diet
Feeds mainly on small fish, shrimp, crayfish, aquatic insects, and other invertebrates. It sweeps its open, sensitive bill side-to-side through shallow water and snaps shut on contact with prey. Turbid water is not a problem because it hunts largely by touch rather than sight.
Preferred Environment
Shallow brackish or freshwater wetlands, including tidal flats, mudflats, mangrove creeks, and impounded lagoons. Often uses the edges of marsh pools and slowly receding flats where prey concentrates.
