Roseate Spoonbill: Where is that Pink Bird?
Ever wonder what those beautiful pink birds are and where they live? This beautiful and graceful species is the roseate spoonbill, Platalea ajaja. This bird is in the ibis and spoonbill family order called Pelecaniformes, which also includes five other families of long-legged wading birds such as egrets, herons, ibises and other large storks that are not migratory.
This particular bird is known for its ‘spoon-shaped’ bill that’s very unique to its breed. Many people wonder why we don’t see them along lakesides or creek beds with so many other wading or shore birds. Well, the roseate spoonbill is an extremely picky eater, or forager to be exact, as they’re looking for an average depth of water of 12.5 cm. Too deep or too shallow makes it very difficult for this bird to successfully and easily find food for themselves and or their young.
Inside their bill are sensory glands that help them to identify a food resource either it be a fish, herbaceous material they would like, even fresh or saltwater shrimp or crustaceans. When the sensory glands detect movement as they’re combing in the shallow marsh areas, they snap their bill closed and toss the food into the back of their throats to swallow.
The greatest of their colonies use to exist near Tavernier Key for decades. Now that their water quality and food resources have changed in the upper Keys, they’ve moved their colonies to many areas throughout Florida. Spoonbills eat shrimp, shrimp eat algae, and the algae make their own red and yellow pigments, called carotenoids. Some scientists believe that the pink coloration that roseate spoonbills acquire as they mature is due to their diet of carotenoid-rich organisms like shrimp. The more they eat, the pinker they get.
During the months of February-May, these birds are roosting and raising their young along with many other herons and egrets on rookeries (islands) where they feel safe from predators and safety in numbers of similar species. Find that special rookery and you will have a delightful time watching these birds fly in with the most beautiful display of colors!
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Written and photography by Brian Beckner