Animal Spotlight
Roseate Spoonbill
Platalea ajaja
Strikingly Beautiful, Wonderfully Unique
The roseate spoonbill is quite the quirky bird, with pink feathers, red eyes, and a half-bald head when fully mature. This wading bird is native to Florida and uses its specialized bill to sift through mud for food. Like the flamingo, the roseate spoonbill gets its vibrant color from a diet of carotenoid-rich organisms including shrimp. When they are juveniles, spoonbills are pale pink and white. As they mature, they turn a vibrant pink with crimson red shoulders, underwings, and rumps.
Habitat
Rivers, marshes, and mangroves along the Gulf, South America, Central America, and the West Indies
Diet
Small fish and invertebrates
Predators
Alligators, coyotes, raptors, raccoons, and snakes prey on spoonbill eggs or nestlings
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Phylum
Chordata
Meet the Neighbors
Roseate spoonbills share the Wetlands of Florida with a diverse group of fascinating species.
North American River Otter
A semi-aquatic mammal with thick fur and webbed feet, the river otter can stay underwater for as long as eight minutes.
American White Ibis
The white ibis strolls through the wetlands, using its curved pink bill to probe for frogs, snakes, fish, crayfish, and crabs.
