Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland, Florida
Credit: Mathew Paulson

North American field guide

Roseate Spoonbill

Platalea ajaja or Ajaia ajaja

Explore this bird

Identification

Field notes

81 cm (32") Rare. Shallow salt water.

Flattened tip of bill is unique and is swept rapidly side to side when feeding. Body of adult is mostly pink. Immatures are white turning pink as they mature.

Watch and learn

Videos

1 video

Where it lives

Distribution maps

Source legend · original intervals

Loading the rebuilt map…

Unshaded in source · does not imply absence

Generic and winter maps may use different intervals.

Approximate reconstruction of a historical map. Source date unknown.

Geography: Natural Earth
Bird Advisor Identification rules 1 variant 1 rule

These are the observation paths the Bird Advisor can use to identify this species. Each rule is an alternative match.

Roseate Spoonbill

1 rule
Rule 1 10 criteria confidence 1
What colour were the WINGS ?
Red, or pink · Unknown
What colour was the BACK ?
White, or pale (grayish-white) · Red, or pink · Unknown
What colour was the BREAST ?
White, or pale (grayish-white) · Red, or pink · Unknown
What colour was the THROAT ?
White, or pale (grayish-white) · Unknown
What SHAPE was the BILL ?
Straight and thick · Conical and thick · Flattened · Unknown
What LENGTH was the BILL ?
Long · Very long · Unknown
What colour was the TOP of HEAD ?
White, or pale (grayish-white) · Orange, buff (orange-yellow), or tan · Olive (yellowish-green) · Green · Gray, or blue-gray · Unknown
How BIG was the bird ?
Goose-sized · Larger than a goose
What TYPE of bird was seen ?
Long-legged wader
WHERE was the bird seen ?
Southeastern United States · Southwestern United States