Spoonbill (Roseate)

A bizarre wading bird of the southern coasts, the Roseate Spoonbill uses its odd bill to strain small food items out of the water. Its bright pink coloring leads many Florida tourists to think they have seen a flamingo.

Spoonbills are very social and spend most of their time in the company of other spoonbills. Not only do they feed in groups, but they nest in colonies with ibises, storks, cormorants, herons and egrets.

It's ironic that roseate spoonbills were hunted for their plumage: their feather color fades rapidly, so the fans and hats made from their plumes had only a limited lifespan.

The roseate spoonbill gets much of its pink color from the food it eats. The crustaceans that it eats feed on algae which contain pigments that impart a pink/red color.

1 Photographed at Reid Zoo, Tucson, AZ

2, 3 Photographed at Discovery Cove, Orlando, FL

4 Photographed in the everglades, Marco island, FL