Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology:  Platalea ("spoonbill") ajaja (name in Tupi language)

Adult Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) at Tarcoles, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: N/A 
Weight: 1.2-1.8kg  /  Length: 61-86cm  /  Wingspan: 122-133cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Similarly to flamingos, roseate spoonbills gain their distinctive pink coloration from their diet - speciedifically carotenoids found within their primarily invertibrate prey. They are distributed from the Caribbean to Argentina, primarily in coastal regions and wetlands.  They represent part of the oldest branch from the core spoonbill lineage, but while some expects split them into a separate genus Ajaia with the yellow-billed spoonbill, most keep all spoonbills within Platalea.

Related Species:
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Threskiornithidae
Genus: Platalea
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

COSTA RICA - Spanish - Espátula Rosada (pink spatula)

Locally common in suitable habitat
 - COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at Tarcoles

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

.

Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)

OTHER NAMES: Spoonbill, Common Spoonbill
Latin Etymology: Platalea ("spoonbill") macularius ("white heron")

Adult Eurasian Spoonbill (subspecies P. l. leucorodia) at Frampton Marsh, Lincolnshire - August 2023

Featured Subspecies: Platalea leucorodia leucorodia
Weight: 1100-1960g  /  Length: 70-95cm  /  Wingspan: 115-135cm

UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The spoonbill is a unique, almost unmistakable species once you see it's beak. It has in fact bred in the UK this year, but generally its is more a random if frequent visitor. The beak is of course the most obvious feature, but also look for it's unique feeding movement which involves sweeping its beak from side to side to filter out its food from the water.  It is one of the rarest of British breeding birds, although that's more of a factor of it being in the process of establishing here, rather than due to any rarity.  My finding of one was utterly by chance as it flew into a hide as I was walking down a path and a kind couple coming the other way let me know, though I subsequently saw an individual at Cliffe Pools though more distantly.

Related Species: 
Order: Pelecaniformes
Family: Threskiornithidae
Genus: Platalea
Subspecies: P. l. leucorodia, P. l. balsaci, P. l. archeri

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Rare breeding species (0-4 pairs) and rare Wintering visitor (20 birds) and regular vagrant

 - Vagrant birds seen at Rutland Water, Cliffe Pools and Summerleys

SPAIN - Scarce and Local Resident to Souther Spain

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: A single bird at Arrocampo.

Further Information: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

.